Today I took Flik mini-golfing. It was a beautiful day, school will soon be starting again, and I just wanted to spend some time alone with him. Apparently, everyone in the western suburbs of Chicago had the same idea, because the place was packed. But since that doesn't really matter much to a 5 1/2 year old, we decided to brave the crowds.
We got our balls and our clubs and took our place at the end of the line of people queued up at the first hole. There were about 5 groups of people in front of us when we arrived, so we had a bit of a wait. To pass the time, Flik decided to read aloud the large sign posted with the "Rules of Play."
- No more than five players in any group.
- All players tee off before stroking second putts.
- Ball may be moved 6 inches from sides or obstacles without penalty.
- If Ball leaves playing area, place at point of departure. Penalty - one stroke.
- Stroke limit 6 per hole.
I gotta' tell you. I know my kid's reading abilities are good, but I often forget. He hates when I buy him new books that I expect him to read himself. He always wants me to read them to him. And he told me the other day that when he grows up, he wants a job that has "no reading in it!" And sometimes I wonder how much of his awesome reading is him remembering stories, just looking at the pictures to figure out what the hard words are, or just plain guessing at words he doesn't know based on context and getting them right. (These are also all useful skills, so props to him for doing those as well.) But today, he read every word on that sign without batting an eye. No pictures. No previous exposure.
Obstacles. Penalty. Departure.
Damn, he even impressed me. You go kid!
