Nerdy Dad Fu
Now that the tour is over, I’ve been spending a lot more time with Cassie. She’s nearly five now, reading quite fluidly, though she is frequently frustrated with hard to pronounce words. “Just keep practicing,” I tell her. “You can get better at anything, if you practice it.”
She’s growing as a listener, too, handling more complicated books at bedtime like Alice in Wonderland, Charlotte’s Web, and my personal favorite, The Hobbit.
I don’t think Cassie had any idea how meaningful it was for daddy to be able to spend a half hour each night reading his little girl The Hobbit. I put on my best Jongleur’s act, making up different voices and singing the songs, using the music set to Tolkien’s words in the beloved Rankin/Bass Hobbit cartoon adaptation from the 70’s. My Smaug impression was pretty badass, if I do say so myself.
She seemed to really like the book, especially the elves and Beorn, the man who turns into a bear. Every time I mention elves, Cassie asks me to specify if they are wood elves or high elves. She reminds me that elf singing is silly.
We have a rule in our house that once you finish reading a book, you are then allowed to see the movie. Book first, always. We immediately went on to the aforementioned Hobbit cartoon, and Cassie loved it. My heart swelled, hearing her singing “Chip the glasses, crack the plates! That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates! That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates, So carefully! Carefully! With the plates!”
She had all sorts of questions about the ring, causing me to break my own rule and let her watch the first part of Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring to explain the ring story. Now, Cassie will happily recite all the ringbearers from Sauron to Frodo, and tell you whether they were nice with the ring or bad with it.
Ye gods, how much can a nerdy dad take?
And yet, for all my pride in getting to share a mutual enjoyment of things I love with my child, none of it could make me nearly as proud as what happened this afternoon.
I had been writing, and as usual, worked right down to the wire before leaving to pick her up from school. I ran out the door so fast I realized I’d forgotten my keys… just as the door latched shut.
In all my life, I have NEVER locked myself out. Is this what getting old is like? Creator, I just turned 40. Stay back, Reaper!
Anyway. It was actually quite nice out, so we hung out on the stoop across the street with the neighbor kids while we waited for the landlady to swing by with the spare key. Cassie was playing badminton with this 5 year old boy she’d just met. I was teaching them how to hit the birdies, but they were struggling to manage. The boy got frustrated and yelled, “I’ll never figure it out!”
Cassie looked at him and said, “You just need practice! You can get better at anything, if you practice!”
If I never teach this kid another thing, dayenu. Because that’s the keys to the castle, right there.
Your Best Dad Award is in the mail 🙂
Lovely. Thanks for the Friday afternoon smile.