"Paying for your raising"

That's a popular phrase around here, meaning that you as a parent will have to deal with all of the stupid and/or annoying stuff that you did as a child.

How true; how true it is.

Spyder is a reader. He always has his nose in a book, and on any car ride, he has a minimum of three books in his backpack "just in case." I was a reader like that too, although I usually limited myself to one book at a time.

Every time someone we don't know (or don't know well) sees Spyder reading, I always hear a comment like "It's so great that he likes to read." And it is. I love being able to read with him and discuss our views. I really love it. Most of the time.

When do I not love it?

I do not love it when I tell him to get in the shower, and 10 minutes later I find him sitting on the (completely dry) floor of the shower -- reading!

I do not love it when I ask him to clean his room (usually meaning "get the books back to the bookshelf") and I find him on the floor in a pile of books -- reading!

I do not love it when I ask him to go outside to clean and refill the dogs' water dish and I find him sitting on the swing -- reading!

And yet, I think my parents probably dealt with the same thing. We had a rule of "no reading at the dinner table." That's the only rule about books that I specifically remember, but it probably tells the story. I'd be willing to bet that I was just as bad as Spyder.

I need to call my parents and apologize.