Favourite conversation overheard in the past week (at the Oxfam bookshop in Canterbury); very small person aged about four, with parent:
"Mummy, can we buy a DVD?"
"No, sweetheart, we don't have enough money for a DVD."
"But Mummy, if we don't have enough money for a DVD, how come we've got enough money for books?"
"Mummy, can we buy a DVD?"
"No, sweetheart, we don't have enough money for a DVD."
"But Mummy, if we don't have enough money for a DVD, how come we've got enough money for books?"
Labels: Life in Canterbury
posted by equiano at 6:26 pm
5 Comments:
Haha, Books should always take priority. Working in a bookstore, I've seen the reverse which is disheartening. Sometimes it's the parents who don't understand why their children want to read!
and what answer did the mother give??? or was she struck dumb. What a wonderful story!
Because, small child, one ALWAYS has enough money for books! When my parents moved house, my dad said I had too many books and he was going to throw some away so there was less stuff to move. I told him he could throw my bed out instead. The books stayed.
Warms the heart, doesn't it?
A bookseller friend told me about a man who came into the shop, looked round and said, 'Hmm, books. My wife likes those ...' Good to know she's not the only one!
Acquisitionist - welcome! An article in yesterday's INDEPENDENT reported on a recent UK study - apparently 53% of children up to the age of 4 are read to every day or night by their parents. This is higher than I had thought, and is encouraging. Unfortunately it drops off steadily after that.
elaine - made me smile for days. There was a pregnant pause, while all the other customers in the shop snickered quietly. Then "mummy" gave a really good explanation on marked down books and supporting charities, which the child seemed to find perfectly acceptable. She was allowed to choose two books for herself and had a long conversation with the lady behind the till about all her favourite books - extremely articulate child: must be all that reading!
Traveller - your story makes me laugh! Good to know where your priorities lie, even as a child!
Debi - that's hilarious! I'm firmly with the wife on this one.
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