The power of reading

Every night, we follow the same routine with Ottawacker Jr. Dinner, games, bed, stories, song, lights out.

It is a bit of a chore at times, when days are long and the wine is still in the fridge. 

But then, out of the blue, you realize just how much good it does. Not just in him being a well-balanced individual, but in the hidden development of the brain.

We've been reading and re-reading him a book given by Julia, a good friend of ours, called Uff Da. It's all about a young boy called Timmer (poor bastard) who moves into a dilapidated house with his family (all Scandis) and has his extended family come to help fix it up.

Poor Timmer is ignored (quite rightly so) and ends up going to his room to build his own city with the left over scraps from the rebuild. We come downstairs one morning to find the book open on the floor, and Ottawacker Jr. busily cutting up cardboard to make a building, and parking spaces and trees and, well, you name it.

Uff Da is open at the right page. Just where Timmer is putting the final touches to his masterpiece.

Reading, I tell you, it's the best. And if you ever read this Julia, thank you!