They need me.

At parent/teacher conferences this week, Ian's first grade teacher encouraged us to work with Ian's reading fluency.  That is, blending phrases together and recognizing sight words into a speaking cadence.

Of course, this is with good reason-- he reads at a first grade level, and sometimes when Ian is reading, he needs a little boost.  As a Dad, I feel needed similar to when he was learning to pump the swing or ride a bike and wanted a little push.

Tonight we were reading scriptures, and he got hung up on a word (they have diction difficult enough for even the seasoned reader, of course!)  The funny part was that he was hung up on the word "words".  He'd say "wahrds" then look at me, then I'd say, "Look at the words" and then he'd have to find his place again.  Then he'd iterate and say "wohrds" and then look at me again to see if he got it right.  His teacher mentioned that he does this to her too, and she of course makes him struggle through it until he gets it.  Well, I am cunning, and a jokester, so given this opportunity, I said even more emphatically, "Look.  at. the. WORDS."  He looked down, then a huge smile crossed his face, and he said "WORDS!"   He thought that was really funny!

It made me think of some of those times when a child really does need a parent.  You know, those times when my boys try something, then look up to see if I noticed that they tried-- not knowing if they failed or not.  Sometimes it is acknowledged failure, but still.