Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Marvin K. Mooney will you please go NOW.

My wife and I take turns putting our son, Derek, to bed. On her nights, she reads him a Dutch children's book, on my night, it's English. We both like Doctor Suess books. The whacked out artistry usually gives him something to focus on and my voice knocks him out in no time.
I thought that was pretty much it, pictures and the sound of my voice. We live in the Netherlands, there isn't a lot of English in his environment, just me and my family when we visit the states once a year. Today, my wife calls me at work and says, "Listen to this!".
She holds the phone out for Derek and he begins reading, "Marvin K. Mooney will you please go now." And reading it WELL. He's 5 years old, has a 30% hearing reduction (until the drains go in on the 11th this month, anyway), speaks Dutch all the time, and here he is rolling out a whole book over the phone.
I cried like a baby sitting there in my office. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.