Getting Kids Reading, Tidy Books News

The Best Father’s Day Gift

 

In honour of Father’s Day, we asked one of our resident book reviewers and popular dad blogger, Ian Newbold, to tell us about the best Father’s Day gift he’d ever received.

Over the years, like many fathers, I’ve received some very, erm, interesting Father’s Day gifts.

Granted, us dads are not always easy to shop for, and I know it’s sometimes a real struggle to come up with great gift ideas for dads that either don’t cost the earth, or take monumental efforts to make or get hold of.

Children, especially the younger ones, are also often encouraged to make things at playgroups, nurseries and schools to gift to their dads on Father’s Day. Many of my own child’s efforts, despite not always been immediately distinguishable for what they are or were intended to be, are kept in one of the many keepsake boxes I have.

In all honesty whilst it is really nice to be appreciated, I’ve always felt that getting a gift on Father’s Day is a little unnecessary.

I’ve considered fatherhood to be a huge gift in itself. Ever since the day my boy was born it has felt nothing short of a privilege to be his dad.

Though I understand that sentiment is perhaps a little lost on a child, and I always appreciate the ‘stuff’ he’s got for me.

One of things that surprised me about parenthood was how much I enjoyed reading to my child, and just how much he enjoyed being read to.

 

I have a reasonably vivid memory reading a book to my baby boy, Max, for the first time. He was only a few days old, still in the very floppy baby stage, and propping him on my lap, and also holding a book – a Mr Men one if I recall correctly – was no mean feat.

At that age I’m not sure how much benefit that had to him, but quickly and over the years, we both felt the benefits of sharing a book together.

We’d read at every bed time, all kinds of stuff, and pretty quickly from our Tidy Books bookcase as it happens. Max grew and his ability to read did too.

I feared it was only a matter of time before our shared bedtime reading sessions were going to end.

He’s now nearing ten years-old and really does enjoy reading. And it can now be a real struggle to get him to read aloud, so as to check on his reading progress, he’s getting a little ‘too old’ and more than a little ‘too good’ for that.

However, while the books have changed, from cute picture books, to books I’m not sure my son should be reading, we still read together every night.

And I still absolutely love it.

So I guess the greatest gift I’ll get this Father’s Day, is my son still letting me read to him.

That, and maybe a bag of sweets would be nice!

Related Posts