Little Boys & Super Heroes

Ok, confession time: I hide books from my son. That's awful, right? I'm 100 percent for reading to children. In fact, my son and I have been reading since before he was born. I'd read my books aloud when he was still growing in my tummy in a valiant effort to produce a human being that is smarter than my husband and I. Even if he was listening to Nicholas Sparks novels and What to Expect When You're Expecting, it was better than nothing right?

Books were a huge part of my life growing up. I was always reading something - usually not required school reading - and I'm happy to see my son take after me in that sense. Although, lets be honest, I'm happy to see my son take after me in just about any sense considering he's the carbon copy of my husband.

Now, however, he gets stuck on his favorite things, including books. No matter how many dozens of books I buy him - mostly for my own sanity because a person can only read "Where's Spot" so many times in their life -  he wants to read the same ten or so every time we sit down to read. And usually, he prefers to read the same book several times in a row, before moving on to the next.

I make a game out of this practice, mostly to make round 300 of "Ten Tiny Toes" bearable. I change up voices, I make different sounds and try to include interactive portions for my son. I started doing it to help myself, but in the long run I can see it helping my son. Some books, however, do not lend themselves to creative storytelling and are therefore a lot harder to read 100 times over.

My son's favorite book as of late is called My First Batman Book. His aunt bought it for him partially because little boys tend to like super heroes and also partially because Batman is his dad's favorite, but the problem is he could read the Batman book until the end of time, never reading a single book in between, and be perfectly content. There are few ways to get creative with the already slightly interactive book and my voice is quickly growing hoarse from trying to sound like Batman. I've given sounds to the fake "buttons" inside the book, prompting my son to push them when directed and even make "zoom" and "zip" noises as Batman drives his Batmobile with Robin or ziplines across tall buildings.

The realization eventually came to me that perhaps I had made the book too fun; that in an effort to quell my own boredom I had made the book more desirable in my son's eyes. So I quickly changed my approach. I began speeding through the pages quicker than my son could turn them and speaking in monotone voices, with no cool sound effects or added interactive ploys.

To my dismay, it didn't work. My son still loves the Batman book and it only angers him when I don't add in the extra "fun" parts. I don't know why every little boy member of the male population has an obsession with Batman, but it seems to be universal.

I tried hiding it once. I slipped it behind his stuffed animal bin and forgot about it for weeks. Until the day my son tipped over said bin and uncovered the "lost" object. His eyes lit up when he saw it as he immediately handed it to me and promptly sat in my lap for 20 or 30 straight readings. I tried to pick up other books in between but he wouldn't be swayed. It was like a brand-new toy and the weeks it spent missing from his easily-accessible collection only added to its worth.

I guess I learned my lesson. Damnit, Batman.


-N.

Slightly Crunchy: giving in to some of the earth-preserving, "granola-esque" qualities that are often associated with mothers such as cloth diapering, breastfeeding and organic baby food-making, but without fully embracing the "make-your-own-clothes-wear-organic-deodorant-all-natural-everything" lifestyle.