Fundamentals

As a dad, I try my best to make sure I expose my son to all the amazing sights and sounds life has to offer. 

Every day, I aim to present him with something mind-blowingly awesome, to overwhelm all of his senses with a dangerous dosage of stimulation, to create for him a new set of experiences that will become fondly referenced memories when he has kids of his own.

However, I've come to learn that this does not always mean a trip to the circus or a ride on a spaceship.

Sometimes, a simple trip to the book store will do the trick.

You see, it's easy to forget that, when you're 3 years-old, just being able to go for a ride in the car and picking up some new books for your bookshelf is just the right amount of awesome.

Of course, the trips to the circus and the rides on the spaceships will come in due time. 

I just hope he remembers these quieter moments as well.

Especially since he came home with an embarrassing amount of new Thomas the Tank Engine books.

As always, more pictures after the jump.

I take it as a pretty good testament of how much we stress the importance of reading when a 3 year-old recognizes the Barnes & Noble flag.

The children's section is on the 2nd floor.  Which meant a ride on the escalator. 

Which also meant that Lil Sippy Cup already classified this trip as "awesome".

I can see why he likes the book store...

...the big kid section isn't this colorful...

...and it certainly doesn't have any Thomas books.

He picked out his books, found a quiet aisle, made himself comfortable and started "reading".

Out of all of his preferred activities, reading is the one that I whole-heartedly support. 

Partly because it promotes the idea that reading is, indeed, fun. 

But mostly because its the least dangerous.