Girls stuff

 I was reading another blog about parents living vicariously by buying toys for their kids.

I am a terrible (by that i mean prolific) toy buyer so I can identify.  But my purchases have been tempered slightly by the fact that i have two boys.  I love the joy of giving them lego and other toys that bring on squeals of joy, but dont feel the same glee because lets face it i didnt dream of playing with fire trucks, lego, hot wheels cars etc. 

But now with a daughter on the way i find myself fantasising about a whole new level of indulgence.  Now dont picture barbie castles and princess palaces.  I am just not that kind of girl.  I didnt really do the doll stuff too much.  I think that the rag dolls and other cuddlies are cute but dont remember every fantasising about having a barbie malibu mansion with a corvette in the driveway.

Books.  Now books are an addiction.  They still are.  As a child i always dreamt of having a huge library that was all mine.  I have bought a load of books for the boys, that also reflect my childhood reading.  They have all the Roald Dahls, lots of Hardy boys and Willard Price.  And yes, i did read Willard Price.  They have lots of Famous five and other Enid Blytons.  So i thought that i had covered all bases.

Until i stuck my head into the hospice shop the other day and there on the shelf were two Nancy Drews.  I had an AHA moment.  I could buy all the girls books!  Joy! Bliss!  A whole new world of book buying opened up to me.  She can read all the books i have bought already but there are lots more experiences waiting for her (and me).

And she is not the only little W on my mind when i think of books.  Right now i am in a kind of ecstatic bliss about Gabby's reading.  This year he has started to read alone.  As in take a book and lie on his bed and read.  I go down the passage and peek in the door and when i see him lying on his bed reading, i get warm and fuzzy inside.  I get it.  We share something!  My hard work for the past 7 years has paid off.  It inspires me to keep reading to Seth.  He loves it and i live in hope that we will all read together.  Two mornings ago Gabby confided in me that he was tired because he snuck the light on after i had put him in bed to read "Just one more page from James and the Giant Peach mommy.  I just had to know what came next."

And i didnt scold him.
How could i, be there so many times, baby boy!

Al