Uh oh! My son wanted to go with Mommy to the store tonight so badly that he was happy not only to give up reading books tonight but also for the next few nights. In my effort to dissuade him from giving up books by trying to point out that I'm a big boy and I love to read, this is the conversation that ensued:
"Is Daddy a big boy?"
"Yes."
"Does Daddy read books?"
"No."
I couldn't believe it! This conversation took me back to a conversation I had with my neighbor yesterday. We were talking about some of the things we do to recharge the batteries, like taking personal time to read. Whereas I typically do those things before the kids wake up or after they go to bed, my neighbor consciously does them when the kids can see it, so that they can learn to do it to. That insight hit me hard when talking to my son tonight, who thinks that big boys stop reading because he doesn't see me do it. I'm sure this also applies to developing talents, doing service, etc. The natural tendency is to drop everything for them during the short time we're together, but maybe they need to see us take time for ourselves too.
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