Growing up, page by page

And so we ride along the streets, immersed in stories. Who knows what the other people sitting at the traffic light are listening to—talk radio? shock jocks? light rock? We are rehearsing for a holiday concert, struggling to survive in a prairie cabin, or walking to school in our new rain boots. And, sometimes, when we delve into fantastic tales like the Spiderwick Chronicles, we can almost see the fairies flying by.

from: The writer, reading (listening) (posted Nov. 15, 2009)

I wrote that blog post four and a half years ago. I knew that we couldn't stay in the land of Pooh or The Little House forever, yet even as they slipped further and further into memory, I thought we still might revisit them occasionally with books on CD in the car.

But the last kid's book we listened to together was Syren (book five of the Septimus Heap series) more than a year ago. A couple of chapters in, E-girl complained that it was nearly the same plot as the last and that Septimus's sister, Jenna, always served the same annoying, inquisitive role. And it was getting bor-ring.

We tried to listen to young adult books together, but there's something discomfiting about listening to a book with your mom (The Future of Us) in which teenagers discuss being "felt up" and having erections. So it's back to the radio for now.

Listening to the radio is a different kind of education for E-girl—and for me. For example, I  know that "Demons" and "Radioactive" are both from Imagine Dragons. I am glad to hear her expressing strong feelings for Nirvana, and for trying to like good heavy metal bands like Metallica—and for turning the channel when Justin Bieber comes on...