My son, Andrew (age 7) has been reading way too much Pokemon and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The result has been an infusion of ideas and habits that aren’t necessarily all that helpful from a behavioral perspective.
Suddenly, I realized that maybe I, the scholar-father, should make sure he reads something GOOD. Brilliant, I know.
So, last night I introduced him to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I had him read the first chapter on his own. He liked it and accurately reported back what happened. I laid in bed with him and read the next couple of chapters. I could tell he liked it because he occasionally finished a sentence ahead of me in a voice of wonderment.
Around 8 pm, I left him in bed with his lamp on and a bookmark in the book (he doesn’t tolerate folded corners like his old man).
When I checked on him before retiring myself around 11 pm, I could tell he wasn’t really asleep. He knew that I knew and looked at me.
“Andrew, have you been up reading all this time?”
“I finished it.”
I asked him what character he liked the best. OS-LAHN, he enunciated.
Daddy couldn’t resist rubbing the secret late night reader on the head and feeling rather triumphant as he walked out the door.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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