Literature and Liam

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I should start reading more to Liam. We’ve spent lots of time with him reading to me, and he’s really becoming a reader, but when I ask him to get a book for me to read to him, he picks the first thing he sees. They are usually very short books that are for much younger kids. So I went out and bought a book that I think that he would like, “A Series of Unfortunate Events”

I read the first chapter with Helena and Liam, and Liam was turning around in bed, looking up at the ceiling, anything but listening. I’d ask him a question or two and he wouldn’t have the slightest clue what was going on. Helena was on the ball the whole time. “The keyhole was in the shape of an eye”, the book reads, and Helena says, “Ugh, another eye!” Liam has to be given a synopsis every few pages or he’s lost.

I also got a book from the library that he might like, and reading it to him tonight (because Helena is at a sleepover) is no better. He has no idea what is going on. I ask him questions and he pretends that he might know like a kid who is looking through their backpack for their homework that the kid and the teacher knows isn’t there. So I told him that I would read him the two pages again at one point, and he still has no idea what is going on.

Once I finish reading the chapter, he says, “Uh, did you win on DK Mountain?”, a reference from Mario Kart which tells me where his mind is the whole time I spent reading to him.

Maybe I better just back off for awhile and keep having him read to me. At least he’ll get something out of that until there is literature with Mario and Luigi.

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