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John Mark and Birdie are both currently reading The Hobbit.
Most sources place The Hobbit at roughly a 6th grade reading level. Honestly, it’s a title that sees a lot of action; my husband teaches it to high school students in his General Literature class, but it’s not uncommon to see the book recommended as a read-aloud for fourth graders. In other words, the exact science of nailing down an audience for this book—or even deciding its difficulty level in terms of reading— is far from being either exact or a science.
But really, this post isn’t about my kids’ reading levels, or how a compelling story well-told transcends the barriers of age.
It’s about this: once upon a time, my biggest kids crossed a sort of invisible threshold the summer they discovered The Hobbit, The Lightning Thief, and Little Women (yes, all at once). It felt like they went from little kids to bigger kids all in one swoop, and their reading habits were the biggest outward reflection of the massive shifts taking place inside.
Which means that, should history repeat itself, I’m looking at a summer full of change. A summer where John Mark is suddenly much more young man than little boy (something that’s been evident for months, if I’m honest), and where Birdie blossoms from sweet little girl into sweet big girl. (No, I’m not quite ready to admit that she’ll be one of the bigger kids soon, too.)
We parents always know it’s coming, these transitions and shifts in the minds and hearts of our kids. We watch as their bodies lengthen and grow, and we measure out the time we have left with them under our wing. I see now that the balance of time remaining with these two is quickly recalibrating so that the bulk of their growing years is on the side marked “past.” I admit part of me isn’t ready for that next wave, and is mourning its coming just a bit.
But then… The Hobbit! The door is swinging open to one of my favorite seasons of parenting: the part when we begin to take deeper dives. The time when our own fellowship is forged, and we take amazing journeys into topics far and wide.
Perhaps I’m more ready than I think. Not as ready as they are, I guarantee you. But ready enough to embrace what’s coming.