A Silver Lining to a Rainy Day

Bonding with each of your children individually is important. Alex and I stood out in the Rain for 3 hours to get a book signed by the author Rick Riordan, http://www.rickriordan.com/. It was a mother son outing to the Library of Congress National Book Festival in DC. Mr. Riordan is the author of the Percy Jackson series of books, a modern-day re-telling of the Greek Mythology. After we finished our last series (Harry Potter), Alex and I were looking for something else to do when we stumbled upon these books. Alex fell instantly in love with the 12 year old precocious hero Percy Jackson. Percy has special powers because he is a demi-god born of a human mother and a god, Poseidon for a father. He goes on modern day quests to save the world which appeals greatly to young readers. Alex is truly enraptured by Percy and the mythological series. Moreover he is learning Greek mythology without knowing it. Pretty cool!

When I told Alex that the author Rick Riordan was going to be at the Book Festival he was overjoyed about getting his book signed by the author. Riordan’s first book The Lightning Thief hits the movie theaters this February, and may launch him to the fame of JK Rowling. This was our chance to meet him—and it was a great way for Alex to stay excited about reading. However the day did not go according to plan.

On Sunday, we packed a lunch and headed downtown on the metro and got in line an hour before the book signing began. Things already looked grim. Even though we were there over an hour before the book signing began, the author was so popular that we were on the 11th line. It started to rain but our hopes were not dashed. Then Riordan had to go for a TV appearance—and that was the end. After standing in line for 3 long hours Alex was crushed and wet. He started to cry and my heart broke because there was nothing I could do to stop his tears. It was heartbreaking. This is not what I wanted my son to remember about his mother and son outing. So I did the next best thing, I remembered that Riordan was speaking in the Children’s and Teens Tent at 3:15 so we ran from one side of the National Mall to the other in hopes of catching him there. Thank the gods we ran as fast as Hermes and were able to make a connection with a very kind lady. Our efforts were rewarded despite the overcrowded tent with a chair (to share) 20 feet from the stage. When we sat down, Alex and I were so close to Rick Riordan that we could see his eye color. It was a great consolation to a very rainy day. Riordan’s speech was riveting and told us of many things to come, including a series on Egyptian mythology. I am so delighted that Alex and I shared this time together and that his love for reading was rewarded. There is always a silver lining to a rainy day.