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“Miss Bennet despises cards! She’s a great reader and takes no pleasure in anything else!”
Our whole family can recite pretty much the entire script of the BBC/A&E version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Our son Isaac has a curious obsession with the movie and gets to watch part of it daily as a reward for meeting some basic behavior and hygiene requirements. As a result, we’ve literally watched Pride and Prejudice over a hundred times. We find ourselves quoting this movie at the oddest times – part of the quirkiness of our family.
Not too long ago I was hanging out in my favorite chair reading while the kids were horsing around in the same room. I don’t know quite what they were doing because I was… well… reading. All of a sudden I hear a voice pipe up in a British accent, “Mom despises cards! She’s a great reader and takes no pleasure in anything else!” followed by a gaggle of giggles. Ahem? The kids seemed to think it was quite amusing. I wasn’t quite as entertained by the “random” quote from P&P. It reminded me of something a speaker at our local home school conference said: “If you can’t say Amen, say Ouch!”
Things had been super-busy and pretty stressful due to some health issues of our special needs guy Isaac and related financial pressures. If I wasn’t cooking, cleaning, teaching, running to various doctors’ offices, or nursing a sick, often uncooperative teenager, I was usually reading – either a good book or on my computer. It was my way of escaping the stress.
Nothing was/is wrong with using a good book to unwind of course, but I was taking it a bit far. I couldn’t remember the last time I played a game with the kids, went outdoors to watch them ride their bikes, or took them on a picnic. Since all of their ages are double digit now, it wasn’t a huge deal, but I felt the poke of the “great reader” remark – a friendly “Hey mom, are you going to join in the fun right in front of you or keep your head buried in your fantasy world forever?”
It’s so easy to zone out, especially when there are so many great books and so little time! But make sure you spend some time with those kiddos – even if (maybe especially if) they’re teenagers and don’t really “need” you to play around with them like the littlies do. (though I’m not certain they ever outgrow that need!) Maybe you can read one of those great books aloud to them! There are so many great authors to pick from… Dickens, Tolkein, Wilder, and of course… Austen. = )
ps — Pride and Prejudice is NOT on the agenda for a read aloud. If I started reading it after everyone here has seen the movie over a hundred times I think I’d be immediately tarred and feathered. Persuasion may be on the agenda this year. And if anyone knows of an exceptional Jane Austen biography I’d love to hear about it!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE this post! I also love P&P, so I could totally relate. Mine isn’t reading so much as it is just my computer time – writing, online college courses, email, Facebook…
So today I determined to take the girls outside to a park and let them run wild for awhile. They are so excited they can’t stand it! =)
I can very much relate- I’m also guilty of tuning out the world because I’m reading a good book, but I tell myself it’s better than zoning out in front of the TV.
I try to make a conscious effort to get my reading in before the kids wake or after they are in bed, but I have to watch that too, or I never sleep myself!
My kids seem to be picking up on the book addiction too- they’ll keep me reading aloud for hours if they can! Even though there are worse habits to have than books, we’re still working on the balance.
Enjoy summer!