Reading With Ammon

Reading anything with Ammon is very interesting. He adds side comments all along the journey that gives you an insight as to where his thoughts are and what he understands. We had him read quite a long chapter in the book of Ruth for Family Home Evening Monday night. I found myself grinning through most of the story. He always emphasizes words he thinks are important. “Sin, destruction, death, bloodshed, and angry” are such words. He will speak angrily when he talks about someone being angry. He will shiver if he reads a word he thinks is scary and in his side comments, he might say, “that’s scary” and then continues to read on. As an example, in Chapter 2, it says, “Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground….” And in verse 6 a man tells Boaz that Ruth is a “Moabitish damsel”. So, Ammon was reading this chapter and here is how it went.
When he read the word damsel, Jim said, “Ammon, do you know what a damsel is?” “Yes,” answered Ammon. “It’s a lady.” I spoke up and said, “Where did you learn that word?” He said, “From Hercules! You know, a damsel in distress. Distress means not to worry.” “No,” I said, “I think you have the word distress and de-stress mixed up. If a Damsel is in distress, she is in trouble. De-stress means to get rid of stress and relax and be happy. They are very different words.” Ammon processed that in his head. I’m pretty sure he could tell you the difference now.
He continued to read, “Then she fell on her face, (wow, that must have hurt) and bowed herself to the ground….” He didn’t even pause or look up as he remarked on the hurt factor. He also read the name Elimelech without any stumbling or difficulty whatsoever. When he read that name, he looked up at me in the middle of the verse, saw my surprised expression and said, “I’m good!” and then he continued to read.
He thinks “slay” means to cut off arms – as in Ammon who cut off arms. It means to kill. We taught him that Monday.
If you want a great adventure, read a book out loud with Ammon and let him be the major reader. Listen to his quiet little voice and you will be amused and amazed at his insights as he is reading. Once the book is closed, it’s gone. The thoughts and story line are lost. At least temporarily. He reminds me a little of the girl in “50 First Dates.” Enjoy the moment, for tomorrow it’s gone and you have to start all over again. But what fun it is to explore the stories all over again.