Lately I’ve been getting back into reading.

I feel like I haven’t read in a long time, but getting back into reading has been really really great. Like discovering an old friend. I’ve been borrowing books, buying books, making library trips, and finding new favorites. It’s been great!

The other day I was out of books and hadn’t gone to the library as planned, so I picked up a book on my shelf to re-read: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Love that book! I don’t think I had read it since I was like twelve. I finished it in a day (That is part of the reason I haven’t read a lot since becoming a mom. I inhale books. I love them. I can’t put them down. For a short book like Mixed-Up Files, that works okay. Josh and the kids and house can survive  a Saturday when I’m a little wrapped up in a book. But for longer books, my lack of self control can get to be a problem. My mom used to physically hide books from me when I was a teenager so I would do my homework or come to dinner. Lately I’ve been giving Josh permission to do the same thing.)

Anyway, Claudia, the main character in the book, reminded me a little of myself. If you haven’t read the book, Claudia is a twelve-year-old girl who runs away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her younger brother. While there, they discover a mystery involving a statue and Michelangelo that Claudia is intent on solving (go read it if you haven’t!). Claudia is a master planner and organizer, and also a perfectionist with very high (sometimes unreasonable) expectations. For example, in one part she and her brother go to the library to research about Michelangelo in order to solve the mystery. From the book:

Claudia began her studies never doubting that she could become an authority that morning. She had neither pencil nor paper to make notes. And she knew she wouldn’t have a lot of time to read. So she decided that she would simply remember everything, absolutely everything she read. Her net profit, therefore, would be as great as that of someone who read a great deal but remembered very little.

I can remember, when Carson was like six months old, reading some post online about parenting and discipline and how important patience is. Afterwards I remember thinking something like, “Yes, that’s exactly true! Being patient is the key to good discipline. So, as a parent, it’s clear what I need to do: I am simply always going to be patient.”

Ha ha, right? Well, a goal to be patient is a great goal. It is a great thing to work on for parenting. But I’ve been learning a lot lately about my perfectionist nature. Deciding to simply always be patient isn’t very realistic. Anyway, books and realizing things like this and learning things like this are just one of the many reasons I love to read.