September 9 - Teach Them To Notice

Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. It’s all about taking in as much of what’s out there as you can.

—Susan Sontag

When former diplomat and secretary of defense Robert Lovett was a kid, he and his dad took similar routes in the morning and evening to work and to school. And the fact that they left both places at slightly different times allowed Lovett and his dad to play an interesting game.

At night after dinner, according to biographers Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, Lovett’s dad would ask questions about what he had seen. “ ‘How many horses were pulling the cart?’ he would ask about a midtown construction project. ‘How many girders were in the cart?’ ‘How were the horses hitched to the cart?’ ” There would be a few quarters as a reward if young Robert was right, but he could be docked a quarter from his winnings if he got anything wrong.

This was more than just a silly activity they did together, although such things are wonderful. What his father was teaching him was the art of paying attention. Robert was learning to notice, to focus on the details and not to take his surroundings for granted, to be present. It was a skill he used to great advantage as he rose through the diplomatic ranks of the State Department.

Of course, you don’t have to play the same game, but you can find your own way to reward and inspire your kids to pay attention. The quarters and the pats on the back they might win will be nice in the moment, but they will pale in comparison to the value of the real gift you’ll have given them, which will last them a lifetime.

September - Raise A Reader (Lessons In Learning And Curiosity)