Remember when children just got their brothers hand-me-down jeans? Nowadays, we have hand-me-down electronics. My elder son is the proud owner of IPod sixteen or something, which seems about ready to take off (didn't IPod take over the shuttle missions? I think it's a free app.) He worked like a dog and saved his money (my money, but I got chores out of it). So his brother received his hand-me-down IPod. I've been dealing with App anxiety all week.
I had a vision of a different time, when my father read to us in the evening. So I went to the library (yes, they still have those, although ours desperately needs renovation). My mission was to engage my children with literature or at least dime store novels.
I picked out The Book of Three, Dune, Harriet the Spy, the Elfstones of Shannara, and Dragonsong. I figured something was bound to take.
As you may have guessed, my elder one played IPod silently while listening. But my four year old sat and played legos. Both of them want me to continue tomorrow.
The boys picked Elfstones after some debate. Book of Three was second. My twelve year old was reading Dune after his brother went to bed. Sometimes, just sometimes, we can make a stand in the sands of time and create a little family space amidst the din.
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