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“What do most Nobel Laureates, innovative entrepreneurs, artists and performers, well-adjusted children, happy couples and families, and the most successfully adapted mammals have in common? They play enthusiastically throughout their lives.”

~ Stuart Brown, MD, Institute of Play

I love the image of a mother reading to her child.  But a sight that is just as charming to me is a father reading to his little one.

Men are traditionally encouraged to be stoic and focus on the day-to-day struggles of providing for their families – certainly noble and vital pursuits.  Taking time for something as frivolous as reading fairy tales to a child, well, that’s just silly.

Sometimes, however, silly can be the most important thing in the world.

When a father escapes with his child into a world of fantasy, his worries – at least for a moment – dissolve.  His brain pulls off its necktie, kicks off its shoes and runs barefoot through a grassy field.  It frolics in the world of imagination.

If we forget to push the “play” button in our brains every once in a while, though, it becomes harder and harder to escape into that magical land.  We risk losing altogether the map that leads us back to the treasures of childhood.

Sharing a book with a child is a wonderful way for a father to stay connected to the world of fantasy and imagination.  I love to watch a friend of mine, who is a lawyer, read to his 5-year-old son.  This very serious man who conducts very important business drops all his inhibitions and throws himself into his performance.  He turns his voice into a flirty soprano when he read the words of a princess, makes it shaky and low when he intones the words of a king.  He croaks like a toad; he roars like a tiger; he howls like the wind.  And when he finally reads the words “The End,” he is exhausted but happy.

And even though my friend is reading bedtime stories, his audience has never fallen asleep during a performance – which I think is a great compliment from a very tough critic.

I feel honored and blessed that so many parents, teachers, librarians and babysitters let me read to their kids from my website, via downloads and in person.  It’s one of the great joys of my life.  But I feel guilty keeping all the fun to myself, so give it a try sometime, Dads.  I guarantee you’ll be glad you did!

About me:

TV star Kathy Kinney (“The Drew Carey Show”), portrays Mrs. P and is also one of the creators of the website. The website endeavors to expose young people to great books and stories through a celebrity storyteller, Mrs. P.  MrsP.com has no advertising and is completely free, making it a fun and educational online destination for teachers, parents and children. The site also contains interactive games, coloring sheets to download, and activity guides to accompany chapter books like “Alice in Wonderland”. Every story also offers read along options so children can see the words, which is helpful to early readers, and ESL students. Mrs. P is the recipient of The National Parenting Center 2009 Seal of Approval and the American Library Association distinction of “Gre