Pick up the book...

I often post links I find online to my family group for my kids to read. I do this because I find it interesting.

Pick up the book...

My children, one in college, one in high school. They asked me why I did that? I replied: I thought it was interesting. They asked again: Have you read it? I stammered: I thought the title was interesting.

That's it. I lost points with my children.

Honestly, work seems to always take me away, so reading books, even e-books, is very rare. I often spend my limited free time during the day surfing social networks with the goal of restoring my soul. The links I pick up on that space seem good, but the content is often deceptive. I hastily send them to my children, which sometimes becomes quite rude. When they ask me if I have read it, it is only a mild reprimand, but they could have completely said straight out that my approach to reading culture is problematic.

And it’s not just me. My colleagues, friends, and people I know. Many of them are also feeding their children “instant noodles” through unverified links and forcing them to read. Those books considered “instant noodles” are attractive, but full of charm, seduction, provocation, and incitement. It has everything. It appears on social media platforms as bait, and if we are not careful, we will push our children to become victims.

One day, I had a day off from work and took my children to a shopping mall during a used book fair. I pulled them into a nearby cafe, while they kept insisting on looking at books. I indulged them by taking out a 500,000 VND bill to let them enjoy, while I went to a coffee shop, until my children were carrying a pile of books and placing them on the table. The books had worn spines, some were bound. I asked how much it cost, my child opened his hand and said it was just enough. He did not hesitate to spend money to buy used books because those books were very good, trustworthy and not necessarily available online. It seemed like he wanted to mock my reading culture and my way of choosing books.

When my child was in elementary school, every year at the beginning of May, she asked me to register for a summer reader card at the library. I was shocked when one day I was almost 30 minutes late and she still hadn't come to the bus. I went into the reading room and saw her by the bookshelf, while only the librarian was waiting outside. The librarian said she was persuaded by her child. She said she found a book she really liked so she took the time to read it all. It was a book that the library had just received for circulation.

Reading, looking at books and even more so, reading culture. These things seem to be becoming distant in modern life. I used to take my children to book fairs at their suggestion. Most of the adults brought their children to the book fairs and then gathered somewhere to chat. Others surfed their phones and sat in cafes. Many children passed by the book display like a shadow, then went to sit in cafes with the adults.

It's Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day again (April 21). This year, my children have all finished their schooling cycle to move to the next level. I'm glad that the books they have access to have helped them grow up. I spent a morning carrying home a stack of books, thinking that they would like them. The first thing I said to them when handing them the books was: Now pick up your books, my child. They smiled, because their father understood them. And I also told myself that when I'm tired, I will pick up my books too. Good books are like a therapy to soothe the spirit.

Happiness

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