robert falcon scott

our kids like to read. A LOT.

tonight i threw ida in her crib with half a dozen books and c.j. laid down with eli to read a chapter out of their "dangerous book for boys". the book is a collection of "boy" stuff: games, biographies of explorers, knots, survival skills. i am sure you have seen this book in stores. i heard c.j. reading about robert scott and his expedition to the antarctic. c.j. finished up and left eli to go to sleep. about 20 minutes later i went to check on the kids. i opened ida's door slightly, she was growling and jabbering while flipping the pages of her chunky animal book. i poked my head into eli's room, he was reading through the pages of the book c.j. was just reading to him. i came into the living room and gave the update to c.j. 10 minutes later, eli came out to go to the bathroom. then he walked into the living room and wanted to talk to me. "that story, about robert scott.... it was so sad. he froze to death. it's just so sad...." that's when he started to cry. crying like someone had died. like he knew robert scott. so tragic.

c.j. and i went back into his room with him. he had re-read the account and was terribly moved by the letters mr. scott had written to his family and friends. his journal entries and thoughts. such a shame he had made it to the south pole and died on the journey home.

an excerpt from the last letter to his wife where he mentioned their only son.

"I had looked forward to helping you to bring him up, but it is a satisfaction to know that he will be safe with you... Make the boy interested in natural history if you can. It is better than games. They encourage it in some schools. I know you will keep him in the open air. Try to make him believe in God, it is comforting... and guard him against indolence. Make him a strenuous man. I had to force myself into being strenuous, as you know--had always an inclination to be idle."

{no wonder he was boobing, i had a hard time getting through that myself...}

to make it all better, we talked about explorers and the risks they take. you win some, you lose some. then c.j. read him the story of the wright brothers. he was asleep within a couple of minutes.