My Sin?
Last night I sinned… well, okay – I didn’t actually sin but I allowed the kids to stay up past their bedtime. They usually go to bed by 8:30PM so that they can read in bed for 1/2 hour before sleep. My kids need their beauty sleep!
So, what caused the disruption last night? Was it a good movie? An exciting video game? A computer game without end? A TV show? Nope – nothing so bland… it was a great book!
Picture it… it’s 8:00PM and we are ready to read. It’s dark outside and chilly. The free-standing fireplace has a nice little fire going (gas). I’m in the easy chair with the book opened to the next exciting chapter; Pete’s in the banana chair with a computer on his lap doing some work for a big client (inevitable this time); Erin, sitting on the couch on one side of me, is drawing; and Preston is sitting on the other couch with a cat on his lap.
We are reading the last few chapters of Hatchet
Chapter 11. It’s pretty intense. Brian – a young boy of 13 was in a plane crash in Canada while on his way to see his dad. He is the lone survivor and has only a hatchet to make it. You guessed it – he finds shelter in a little cave, learns to make fire with sparks, starts building his “tools” such as a bow and arrows, learns how to fish, has encounters with wild animals and has “hope.” Hope of rescue. This chapter starts with a loss of that hope and a few accidents happen which bring a big change in his character.
I pause after a few chapters and lift my eyes. Pete, his computer forgotten on his lap, his eyes looking expectantly at me, is waiting for the next bit of adventure to flow from my lips. Preston is on the edge of his seat, intently looking at me. Erin, eyes wide with anticipation, is leaning over the arm of the couch, her chin in her hands as she impatiently waits to see how Brian gets out of the next jam he’s in. I love it!!
8:45PM – time for bed! “No – please Mom? One more chapter? Can we just read until 9:00PM and then have our personal reading time until 9:15?” One look at Pete and I get his approval. “Okay – just until 9:00.”
9:15 rolls around. I read a certain part of the story (I won’t say what because I don’t want to spoil it for you) and the kids both gasp! “No! He can’t have done that!” Worry lines etch their brows, their breathing rapid as they beg for a little more time.
“You’ll be giving up your personal reading time…”
“I don’t care, Mom – just keep going – please?”
I sigh in resignation but inwardly I rejoice because they are enjoying a good book with the family and we are together, the only electronics going on is the computer (still forgotten on Pete’s lap).
Two and one half hours after I began, it was done! The kids exclaim how rapidly time flew. The book is finished – the thought-provoking questions answered satisfactorily such as: “Why did he not feel so good about the survival pack?” “Why did he feel different when (another spoiler-prevention incident) happened? They know the answers, their hearts are right, their core values intact…
We discuss the parts that are difficult and that we don’t agree with – how he handles the divorce of his parents, his lack of knowledge about God, self-dependency vs God-dependency, etc.
10:15PM and they are very late getting to bed. Promises of no grumpiness the next day are extracted and they go to bed happy. We’ve laughed, we’ve cuddled, we’ve prayed, we’ve read. All together. They go to bed with thoughts of survival in their heads and desiring to spend a couple of months in the mountains surviving off of the land – I get invited. They want to be brave, not give up, eliminate self-pity, work hard, not give in to the elements. Here was a book that taught some important things, though I don’t consider it a classic.
The best part is that before they marched off to bed, they were wondering what adventure we were going to travel in next…?
Leftover Questions
What is a true classic and how should it be read?
Read our articles on classics. Yes, there are two of them because Pete joined in and wrote one as I finished mine! Pete’s is the more IQ-style of article while mine is more EQ (I thrive on emotions!)
Why is it so important to bond?
Here is an article on the different types of bonding experienced in families and the results from these bonds. What category does your family fall into?
What do I mean about core values?
These answers will be forthcoming in the next three articles or so. Sigh… so much to write and so little time.
