His Addiction

Some parents must coax, threaten, nag and bribe before their kids will go near books.

With M, things can't be more different.



Several times a day, we have to coax, threaten and nag before we can tear him away from his books.

At home, the only time when he is not reading is when he is playing Lego, showering or watching TV. The latter isn't a daily affair, especially on days when E is not at home. I rarely suggest TV watching as a reward or activity to fill time anyway, unless of course it is an educational programme or is in Mandarin.

If I let him, he will read while eating.  He had already tried reading in the toilet. But he isn't allowed to do both, which annoys him greatly.

I know we should be celebrating his love for reading and the fact that his interests is so wide and he is so well-read for a 8-year-old, but to be honest, it can be so trying when his reading time becomes excessive (I feel guilty saying this) and gets in the way of daily routine.

His latest obsession is The Lord of the Rings by J.J.R. Tolkien, after reading The Hobbit by the same author last month and enjoyed it tremendously.

So we have a bit of a ring craze at home right now. There are lots of rings made from all sorts of materials lying around and the boys will chant

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
blah blah blah.....

Unfortunately, the bookworm is attracted to anything in English but steers clear of Chinese books unless there are 'external forces' at work. :P

Sparked by his current obsession, he has now indicated his wish to learn Elvish and want some books to start him off. He even copied the Elvish phrases from the book and tried to decipher them. Thankfully, the still-wise dad made it clear that he must master his Chinese language before embarking on any Elvish adventure.