Six: the Year He Could First Read His Birthday Cards

No longer can we spell out words to each other in Parent Code, slipping details by him because he’s either not paying attention or too mystified by the way letters combine to mean something. This kid hears a parent spelling a word out loud and knows it’s something he’s not supposed to know. He fixates on figuring it out, and more often than not, he interprets the spelling easily.

Kyle can read.

It’s one gift that I can give to him that will open doors, roads, entire vistas before him in the years to come. It allows him to be a better Wii player, to read the rules of the road, and to judge what prices are lower at the gift shop. It also allows him to look things up in books, write love notes to me, and type messages to his grandparents in emails. What’s the limit? Not the sky, of course – this child’s imagination goes far beyond that. I can imagine that one day he’ll be naming, if not visiting, a newly discovered planet.

That’s my kid.