Submitted by: Brett Smith
Reading, for me, is about time with my girls. Every night, after bath time, we sit down to read their favorite books. Like most parents, time with my kids is precious.
My girls have grown up in a completely different time than I did. The world is a different place. As children of the Internet age, they will never know a day when information is not at their fingertips. They are able to look up and “google” virtually anything they want.
Movies and TV shows are just a click away. But one thing has not changed: books. Sharing a book is an experience that parents have shared with children for generations. No matter what has changed for each successive generation, the shared experience of learning about the world through the written page is universal.
My favorite shared experiences are books by Dr. Seuss, both as memories of times with my parents and as creating new experiences with my girls. I can remember being mesmerized by the vivid characters and fun wordplay of his classic stories. As a father, now I get to share the fun with my girls and watch them hear these stories for the first (and sometimes the hundredth) time. In a way, it helps me connect with my own parents more deeply. I get to see my children as my parents must have seen me.
My youngest, Charlotte, especially loves the story of the north-going Zax and the south-going Zax. As the two stubborn characters meet in the middle of nowhere, they soon discover that their stubbornness will prevent them from individually going anywhere. But the world grows up around them. Dr. Seuss teaches us that a little compromise can go a long way. Being able to share that lesson with my children, as my parents did with me, is the true gift of reading.
Name: Brett Smith
Position/Company: Director of Research, Keller Williams Realty International
Hometown: Austin, Texas
For the 2014 RED Day (renew, energize, donate) community service project, Keller Williams Realty International partnered with BookSpring. This blog is a part of a “blog-a-thon”, by KW volunteers, to create new content that shares the stories of book-lovers and their favorite books.
Here’s how you can help: VOLUNTEER, DONATE, and engage through FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!
