For the past year I have been trying to the drop the
fact that my ten year old has finished The Fellowship of the Ring into
conversation. Trying but not succeeding. I know, show offy parents are very irritating
but surely reading that book at ten is too impressive not to broadcast?
Maybe it is to my credit that I am not practised
enough at said boasting that I found it impossible to crow bar the fact even into
conversations with other mothers about what our kids are reading. I don’t know, I faltered at
the wrong time or the conversation drifted towards Harry Potter or else, in the
case of my book club, my mouth was simply too full of cheese or crackers or
cake to say anything at all. I’m more greedy than boasty I suppose.
So when said child told me that I only buy children’s
books for my own gratification, I wondered.
