Read Read Read

Luna (the dog) put up some pictures on Facebook of our trip that you may want to check out here . Hope you can see them. She is a very technological dog. 

Today Sugar recieved her very first book in the mail. And to my surprise and delight, it is a Little Golden Book (brings back memories!) and stars Grover!! It's called The Monster at the End of this Book. I love it! I read it to the belly (I feel like I'm a little late with the trying to create a genius while pregnant and I can still control most things. I only started reading out loud yesterday, and we're almost at 7 months!!). So thank you Sarah! Mwah!

Reading has been on my mind lately, and tops the list as far as differences that I can tell as far as bringing up kids in Italy (I'm going to generalize here. Please forgive me) as opposed to the States. I am not the first stupid American living in Italy to notice it, but kids here just don't seem to have a bed time.* 

Well some do, I'm sure, but I can only think of one friend with kids who imposes one and the fact that only he, Federico, comes to mind, tells me that he may be the exception rather than the rule. I would have loved living in Italy when I was a kid. It's like every night is New Year's Eve! In fact, this has happened a bunch of times at friends' houses: kids are playing under the table or running around or whatever even as late as 10 and 11 at night (wee ones are no exception) and then all of a sudden they will just up and decide it's time for bed, and that's it. They disappear. Gone. 

Which is fine. Good even. There are no "it's bedtime" battles (a certain amount of grumpiness usually ensues before the big decision, however, which is interestingly almost never linked to just plain being tired, even when it's accompanied by rubbing of the eyes), no parents who disappear for a half hour to put anyone "down," either. It's all very peculiar and adult-like.

But I don't care. I like me a good ritual. Like bath-time, a couple of Richard Scarry Books (Scattoompa anyone??), some tickling (not to the point of torture, MAG!) and/or singing, and then lights out. And all at a ridiculously early hour (TBD). But that's just me. Maybe those same kids who stay up late also let you sleep in. I doubt it, though. I think all kids are just programmed to wake up as early as possible so that you have to too. 

So bring on the books is what I say, because that bedtime ritual is one of the things I am looking forward to most for when Sugar gets here! 

Yeah!

*It's a favorite topic in the cultural complaints department for Anglo-saxons travelling and/or living in Italy and writing about it, too. (ex: "We're in a pizzeria at 11pm and there are little kids out there still playing! When is their bed time?!")