[pshrynk]

I have very fond memories of learning how to read. My mom was adamant that I not get ahead of my peers, so did not teach me to read. Instead, she encouraged me to run and play and interact witht he people in the county home she and my dad ran. So, I spent a very happy youth on a farm, herding cats, milking cows, and interacting with people who heard voices and had discussions with the toaster.

When I got to school, I had already learned the alphabet, becasue I was a curious little boy, but hadn't bothered with reading, because there was always something intersting to do. When they handed out the books to learn reading, I asked if it was okay to learn how to read, now. The teacher gave me a funny look and said that that was the whole idea.

By the end of the first semester of first grade, I was reading the 6th grade reading texts and driving my teacher insane with requests to get more books. The librarian of my school started getting books from the high school to give me something to do.

Learned about romantic interactions from Mallory's 'Morte d'Arthur'. I was a strange little kid.