I was caught suprise by emotion the other day, finishing the final pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The ending isn’t at all dramatic or emotional, more a tidy conclusion of the character puzzle J.K. Rowling famously put together.
It hit me because I bought and read the hardcover book series in my early 20s and held on to it just in case I’d want to read the books to my own family one day. And there I was, finishing up the first book and paying off the possibility. I turned to you after finishing a line from Dumbledore, and you had wide eyes and a smile enjoying the resolution in only the way a book can do.
That look of yours resolved my deep-seeded hopes because I sobbed out the final pages in a way that took you and Mom by surprise as well.
“Is everything OK,” Mom asked.
“Yes, I just can’t believe I am finishing this first book with the kids,” I replied. Your Mom held a look of concern and “are you OK?” at me.
Parenting is a constant passing of one-time moments. First laugh, first words, first steps, first big chapter book. They all matter and the best, too-rare part is enjoying them as they happen.
The last time I was caught by such an outpouring of emotion was a moment I probably documented in another letter, about you falling asleep on my chest, still just big enough to fit. I realized then that you wouldn’t fit too much longer that way and that the chest-to-chest naps and nighttime routines were going away, and they did. So I enjoyed that one in the moment and leaked a few happy tears.
On the subject of reading, you are doing an awesome job reading yourself. I figure you could probably read the Harry Potter book yourself and am glad you’re letting me take that one. I was surprised by some words you were able to read, and you let me know that when you are stuck you’d just ask Alexa how to say a word you spell to the device. That resourcefulness impressed me and is so much more important than reading any one word. Figuring out how to get anything done with the tools around you is the toughest thing to learn. And you nailed it.
On to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.
Love, Dad