Mamasan’s been working nights, so I’ve had a number of babysitting nights recently… here’s another gwumpa story 😀

We’re sitting in the bedroom, finishing up a 2nd nighttime book and the grandboy requests another.

“No sir, we’ve read the two you picked out and it’s time for prayers and sleep now…”

“But gwumpaaaaaa” (as he puts away the books)

He pulls out another fav, a dinosaur book and blinks big eyes at me.

“No sir, but you can read it on your own after we finish. You can read after bedtime.”

“But gwumpa, i don’t even know these things’ names.

Look. This bird. (he points to a dinosaur)

This tree. (He points to dinosaur eggs)

This race car. (He points to a stream).

See? You have to reeead them to me.”

Hm, i think, this is obviously a ploy to stay up later, so we close out the night with a firm but gentle end to the story negotiation.

Then later, when I peek in on him, I find…

the boy on his bed, finger-tracing the words in that book, pretend-reading it out loud.

And he even nailed every dinosaur, egg, and stream in there.

He just wanted his friend-gwumpa to read with him.

He got extra hugs and kisses after that.