Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental

Welcome to Reading Inspires.

The official podcast of Reading is Fundamental.

I'm your host, Dr. Erin Bailey, and today I'm chatting with Kari Arnold, the founder of the Library.

Dads this incredible group of dads based in Atlanta champion children's literacy and bond with their children and each other through the joy of books.

Erin Bailey: So welcome Kari Arnold, the founder of Library Dads to the Reading Inspires podcast.

I first heard about Kari through an article that I read, and then I knew that I had to reach out to him with my coworker Katie Nicholson.

We hit it off and he's joining us today on the podcast.

So, first I am sure our listeners would love to hear what was the spark behind the library?

Dads, what inspired you?

Was there a particular moment or experience with your daughter that made you realize that this could become something much larger than just your personal reading routine?

Khari Arnold: Yeah.

First off, thanks for having me.

I'm so glad that we're able to have this time together and.

I have the platform is to speak you know, with on, on a great platform like Reading Inspires.

It's definitely inspired me and happy to touch on that.

But yeah, to answer your question the library Dads started June, 2024 was when I officially launched the Instagram page, and it was the same day the idea came to me.

But I would backtrack a year prior to June, 2023.

That's when I took my daughter to the library for the first time.

She was four months old.

And I was inspired to do that primarily from a book that I read.

It's called the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim TRAs.

And so when she was four months old, started this challenge where I said, all right, every week, once a week, we're going to go to the library.

I wanna do that at least a year straight, right?

And so we did that and after a year.

I went by, I wanted to kind of create some type of recap, right?

You know, just I knew I took some videos and some pictures of us going to all these different libraries across Atlanta.

And in that moment as I was trying to gather content it came to me that this would be bigger than, this should be bigger than just my daughter.

And me.

And so that's when the idea came to me and told a few dad friends that I knew and we had our first, what we call a library link up where it's a bunch of dads.

Getting together with their kids to engage in our three pillars, bonding books, and brotherhood.

We started off with, I wanna say seven, eight dads, including mine.

That first event and a year later we had a. About a hundred dads at our one year anniversary celebration.

And we've reached a lot more over the year plus since we've started.

So, yeah it's, that's how it started and I'm excited to see where it's going.

Erin Bailey: That's amazing.

And you mentioned that book, the Read Aloud handbook.

I have to say, you've mentioned that before and I bought a copy as soon as I heard you mention that.

So we'll definitely include links in the show notes for anybody else who wants a copy of that book too.

But I think what you got from that was setting up this reading routine, and I can certainly relate to that, you know?

I will never forget bringing my daughter home from the hospital.

My oldest daughter, I have three children, and reading the first book with her and from that moment on, knowing that this was going to be a very special bond for us a part of her childhood and my parenthood.

So, you know, you talked about that too, and this, these three pillars, bonding.

Books and brotherhood.

How did you decide on those three pillars and how do tho how do you bring those to life in your work?

Khari Arnold: Yeah, and it's in order too.

I think the way we should engage when it comes to reading with our kids should be through bonding, like seeing it as a way to spend quality uninterrupted.

Active time with them, right?

You're gonna wanna do it more when you have it from that mentality.

And so like when I talk about that challenge of my daughter and I going every week it wasn't the books per se that brought me back every single week.

It was that bonding time.

And we used the books to, to do that bond, you know, engage in that bonding practice.

And I really needed that.

I think.

It was smart to make that the first pillar, so dads never lose sight of that, especially Ude, like I said, she was four months.

And it's really not many ways to bond with a four month old, you know, particular, particularly as a dad.

And so I'm watching.

You know, mom, do the feeding.

I'm like, okay, well I'm gonna do the reading.

Like that's gonna be our way to bond.

I can't do, you know, the same thing she does.

At least not in that same method, I had to have a bottle, right?

But I said, no, we're gonna get some books in this house we're gonna read every day.

But then I also really realized getting out the house was just super key.

And that was.

One of the, that was a huge impetus too for, you know, us going to the library.

We needed to get out the house and to do that every single weekend for free.

And, you know, something that you know, aligns with her age range.

It was the library and it just really helped build our bond, right.

The books, I mean, it speaks for itself.

I grew up around literacy.

Study journalism in school and built a career out of that.

And so I knew that I was going to engage in books with her.

And I did not know about the cognitive benefits reading to her would do at such a young age.

That's something I learned in that read Aloud handbook.

And so seeing that.

Was just a plus.

Right.

So that's the second pillar.

And then thirdly the brotherhood is something that we, or something I didn't really have.

Entering fatherhood.

Like yeah, I had some friends who, you know, had dads here and there, but there wasn't a space that was tailored for us to get together.

Right.

And so having that, seeing the, or not having that and then seeing not many dads at the library story times.

I take my daughter to like, on, on Wednesdays at one of my local libraries.

It'd be a really nice story.

Time man.

Wouldn't see too many dads there, so it's like, how can I talk to more dads about this experience and connect and maybe share, you know, some of the struggles and, you know, some to, to someone who could relate to me, right?

And so.

That became a huge pillar.

That's what we built.

It's not just a space for the dads to build a bond with their kid and to read a book with their kid.

But also a space to connect with other fathers who can relate to the journey that they're on.

It's therapeutic.

Having someone that understands you allows you to feel seen and hurt.

Erin Bailey: Yeah I can appreciate that a lot.

The idea that bonding.

For fathers looks different, especially in those early days, right.

Than a mother and I will point out that book that I mentioned that was the first book we read.

My daughter when she came home, it was actually her dad who read that to her.

So I very relatable.

I wanna pull a little bit on that thread of brotherhood.

How have you seen fathers in your program support each other?

And was there anything that surprised you about that dynamic?

Khari Arnold: I'm surprised that.

There's a guy he's one of the volunteers and he, his name is aj and we were just talking casually and he was telling me about how he just left a, he went to a baseball game with one of the library desks he met, and he just said it so casual.

I'm like, aj, this is the type of stuff like.

I kind of wanna know, like I need to be able to document this.

Like what led to that.

And so we need to be able to start tracking some of these stories.

'cause I love seeing the connections being made.

You know, phone numbers being exchanged, dads just laughing, talking, whatever the case may be.

I know I've met a dad.

At an event and that same day we went out to the park with the kids.

'cause you know, our events from 10 30 to 12, it's like, all right what next?

We got the rest of the day, you know, at the nap time.

And so, that's been fun.

But yeah, I think too, just seeing dads be able to get out of.

A ru that they may be in.

So for instance, we have a dad on the team who said he was dealing with about a depression last December, and it's scrolling on TikTok and found our group and said, wow, this is what I need where I need to be.

And he pulled up that very next event.

He's been at practically all of them since.

And he, like I said, he's on the team now.

He's one of one of our major assets.

And so, yeah, I think those type of stories, you know, because if he went to like a mom group with his wife and just tagged along.

It wouldn't have been the same, you know, but when he's around people who are essentially in the same seat that he's in you, you're able to, you know, feel a little more free.

Mel Robbins talked about this in her book, the Let Them Theory that came out earlier this year.

She said there's the two of the greatest components when it comes to building friendships and relationships are proximity and timing, and so proximity, meaning people who are physically near you.

My friend that I was referring to, he's from St.

Louis.

He didn't have too many friends physically.

You know, near him.

And then in terms of timing, that refers to people who are in the same chapter of life that you're in.

And so having dads who have babies, who have toddlers, who have elementary school aged kids you name it allows you to connect with people in that same proximity and in that same era, that same timing, if you will that you're going through.

So.

That's probably been the best part for the brotherhood.

Erin Bailey: Yeah I can also share that feeling of, you know, you wanna spend time either before the nap or after the nap.

Of course.

'cause we're still on the nap schedule.

With other parents, and it also helps normalize some of, like you're describing the stages of life that they're going through.

It's very helpful to be around other parents that are going through the same things that you're going through with your children.

It's so helpful.

It's a community.

So we talked about.

The importance for parents for us to be in community.

What about for the children?

What have you seen and why is it important for children to see their fathers leading in these spaces like story time?

Khari Arnold: I think of course the social and emotional development is really good for our kids.

I know we've had some dads pull up who are engaging in homeschooling.

So this allows their kids to be around other kids.

In terms of seeing the dads reading, I think that's very paramount because.

Our kids need to see men valuing education, especially our boys who want to model what we do.

And so if they don't see us modeling and valuing reading, what cue will exist for them to wanna do that later in life?

Right?

So for me, I saw my dad.

Reading newspapers growing up.

That was his form of literature.

I'm not sure my daughter will grow up knowing what a newspaper is by the time, you know, she's in elementary.

She, all she knows is, you know, books.

But that was his form of literature and I saw him reading it.

He would get the SA today sent to the house every single every single day in the a JC, every single Sunday.

And I remember watching him engage with it and it made me wanna engage with it.

And I ended up interning for USA today when I got to college.

And wanted to kind of build a career off of that.

And I really give my dad credit because it was that exposure, right?

Like I was being exposed unintentionally to him reading and seeing him value that.

So I'm like, okay, that's something I need to.

To do.

But I'm just concerned if our boys specifically, you know, only see us value sports and you know, not books, then that'll be the main thing
that they want to, I shouldn't say the main thing, but the only thing that they would tether your excitement to if that's the only thing.

You know, you're really getting hype over and value and, you know what I mean?

So, and I'm not a if, or I'm both.

And so I've worked for, you know, the sports industry over 10 years.

It's definitely a huge fan of sports.

But at the same time, I want, you know, my, my kids to know reading is gonna take you places.

It's the number one predictor for academic success.

And we're gonna value that in this house.

Erin Bailey: Yeah, absolutely.

And I love the way you said you can do both, right?

You can be a reader and play sports.

You can read about sports.

One of my favorite reading specialists that I worked with, you know, we had a student who was like, well, I don't wanna read.

I'm gonna be a baseball player.

And she said to him, well, if you're gonna be a big baseball player, you better be able to read that contract that they're giving you.

So, you know, reading is part of everything and you know, I appreciate everything that you're saying about being a role model as a father, my greatest.

Reading Robot was my father who read to me every night, even though it was difficult for him.

My dad has dyslexia.

I've shared this on other interviews that I've done, and reading is challenging for him, especially the books that I picked when I was a kid, which were Dr.

Seuss.

They have a lot of nonsense words, which is difficult to read if you have dyslexia, but watching him persevere.

Through those books because he knew that they brought me joy, you know, taught me a lot.

And so I, you know, relate to a lot of what you're saying.

And you know, I mentioned my favorite books were Dr.

Seuss books.

What do you, I'm sure everyone wants to know, what do you read with your daughter?

Are there any particular authors, illustrators, stories that resonate with you?

Khari Arnold: I mean, it changes so, so often.

I mean, each, I say each year she's, she'll be three soon.

But it's been fun to see her gravitate towards, you know, different favorites if you will.

I would say in this season, Jane LAN's, how does a dinosaur series, so how does the

Erin Bailey: yeah.

Khari Arnold: read how does a dinosaur go to school?

How does a dinosaur, say I'm mad.

It's so many of them.

And she loves them all.

She loves them all.

It's rich in great imagery.

It's rich in great texts.

For her age, you know, you got that rhyming component, so she's really big on that.

I would also say from an interactive book standpoint, she really loves Camilla Reeds.

Peekaboo series.

And I always recommend that book to parents who are looking for ways to keep their child busy, perhaps in the backseat or even at a restaurant.

Like, there's probably has like a dozen books in this series, and my daughter has most of them.

And so when she's in the backseat and, you know, if she's getting a little antsy.

She'll start interacting with these peek book books.

Like it's not a lift a flat book.

She has some of those too that she loves.

There's a Lama one particular that she enjoys, but these are interactive in different ways.

It's kind of hard to explain, but it's an interactive book.

And so she really likes those.

And then one that I used to like growing up that she's really starting to get into I Spy books.

I thought we had, you know, some more years before she would get into that, but no, even at two, she's all about trying to find, you know, I don't do the riddles with her just yet.

I'll just say I spy with my little eyes.

I rubber ducky and you got all these.

Objects on these two pages and she's gotta, you know, practice her visual skills to track down that mini rubber ducky.

And so even when dad's.

I mentioned, I know you mentioned your dad having dyslexia and you know, there are other dads who aren't comfortable with reading for, you know, other reasons.

Right.

And is books like these though, that I think still help instill that desire for your child to wanna read one.

Pick up a book, you know, engage in that body time that we talked about.

You know, even if you don't think you're the strongest person to teach them how to read.

Understandable.

But I don't think that should necessarily absolve us from teaching them to wanna read.

Right.

And so like I look at a I spy book as a perfect example because I can spy.

You know, a red hammer in the corner of this book and now I can just tell her that she's gotta find it and you know, it leads to some laughs and everything.

So, yeah, I think those three come to mind that she's really enjoying right now.

Erin Bailey: I appreciate you and I'm sure our listeners who are parents appreciate this too, that.

You do not have to read every single word on the page.

Take that burden off yourself.

You do, especially with the little ones.

You know, 1, 2, 3 years old.

You don't even have to read the pages in order because as you mentioned with at these ages, it's not about teaching them how to read, it's about developing their love for reading.

So if they wanna open a book and look at the same page and talk about the pictures, and that's gonna be it, that's.

That's fine.

Khari Arnold: Yeah.

One of the rules we teach our dads at our, in our program is this, I call it the 80 20 rule where when it comes to reading a lot.

Out is 80% how you bring the text to life and 20% the text itself, the text matters, but how you bring that text to life matters more.

That's gonna lead to them having more more of a desire to wanna do this again and see.

Dad, mom, you know, caregiver, whoever bring a fun story to life.

And the laughing, like that's telling you that, that mattered so much to me, it still does.

But in that phase when she was starting to smile and laugh.

And seeing her do that with books as a baby, and respond to me making these funny dog voices to one of the amazing love every books.

Oh my goodness.

It is, it's something I'll never forget.

Like I'll al I'll always cherish that if I see that page that particular book.

Years later when she's an adult, I might break down crying 'cause it's going to take me back to that time whenever I turn to that page.

She would just.

Burst out just like laughing and, you know, hype and smiling and squealing.

And then she would look at me in anticipation before we got to that page.

And I'd even say, I'm trying to think of the name of this Little Bitty Friends by Elizabeth Mc Pink.

The very last page of that book includes a dad hugging his daughter and.

Whenever we would get ready to turn to the end of that page, she'd be looking at me ready for a hug.

Erin Bailey: Oh, so sweet.

And that's the bonding, right?

Khari Arnold: That's the bonding, like, what you think that did to me?

You know what I mean?

Like that did so much to me and yeah, I gotta see if she'll still do that.

'cause we've read so many books since, but we read that one a lot and she would just, with anticipation without fail, just look at me and gimme a big hug.

Erin Bailey: And that's the other thing I always try to remind parents is if your child wants to read the same book over and over again, that's okay.

I sometimes we might be getting a little tired of that book, but the time will pass.

It'll pass by quickly.

And then you will cherish the day that you read Lama read pajama three times every day for a week, you know?

Khari Arnold: Absolutely.

Erin Bailey: So you're based in Atlanta right now.

Can you talk a little bit about how you're growing and how can you keep that same sense of authenticity and intimacy as you expand?

Khari Arnold: Yeah.

Authenticity.

I'm really big on trying to protect the space.

We believe in partnerships, of course.

But I know there are times where I think our biggest request has been from authors, you know, wanting to come in and, you know, share their book.

And so we want to at some point create some type of space where they can all do that in one setting.

'cause it would just be too much if every single week where, you know, bringing on a new author to promote their book when we have, you know, a set.

Curriculum, if you will.

So like one, one day we'll be reading about colors if you will, and that might include Mickey Mouse colors book the brown Bear.

Then we might have an agenda about farm animals, and now we're reading, you know, little Blue Truck.

So forth.

Right?

Shapes, or I don't know if we have a shapes one.

We have a father, a fatherhood one where it's about, it's books of, about dads reading to their kids or bonding with their kids, animals, whatever.

And so we like to kind of repeat those.

And so I'm really just big on improving and enhancing what we do but also realizing, all right, the dads are really.

Liking this, so let's not try to reinvent the wheel too much.

Our pillars are bonding books and brotherhood, so our program needs to follow that model.

Like the first 30 minutes we're engaging in bonding activities, some STEM toys the next 30 artists story time, and then the following 30, we're engaging in that brotherhood.

Time where dads are talking while kids are playing with bubbles and you know, some of the other toys that would bring out.

So it's just, I think protecting what works.

Adding to it, you know, realizing like are some dads.

Need.

I think not some dads, all dads need something that's just for them, where the kids aren't, you know, in that same room.

So we have had spaces like that where the dads will go out bowling, we'll you know, engage in.

Some other fun activities.

I'm thinking of one specific, it's called Foing, where it's like bowling, but we would throw footballs at the bowling pins.

So we've done stuff like that.

We're about to start some workshops up.

We've had one where you partner with Fulton County schools and they were able to teach their kids about, or teach the dads about phonological awareness and how to engage with their kids from a reading standpoint and, you know, sounds syllables.

I would say though, we wanna expand that from just talking about.

The kids.

We wanna talk about how the dads are navigating stress, how the dads are navigating burnout, how the dads are navigating balance teaching them maybe and equipping them with some financial literacy tools.

Right?

So there are a few things that we wanna implement next year from a workshop standpoint.

And then, yeah, I think.

Our next big thing is our tour.

Haven't really told all the Daes yet.

We'll be announcing it soon, but we've only operated in Fulton County, which is the county Atlanta is in.

But there are neighboring counties that you know, has a huge population.

So you got DeKalb, you got Gwinnett, you got Cobb, you got Clayton.

A few others, but we're definitely going to engage in more counties than just Fulton.

So we'll be able to expand and reach, you know, dads everywhere.

You wanna make it convenient for them, you know, like I. I was going to libraries that were a little further out sometimes, mainly because she would nap in a car.

So that's buying me some, you know, some time and buying her some time.

But, you know, everybody doesn't deal with that, right?

Like some people just want to go to something that's a little more closer.

So we're gonna try and meet them where they are.

Erin Bailey: That's awesome.

And so if there are dads out there, you know, listening to this that don't live in the Atlanta area, but want to.

Or something similar.

What?

What's your advice for them?

Khari Arnold: I've seen a few start that was just talking to a friend about this today, somebody on the team and how I kind of wanna gather some of the.

Groups I've seen up and do a shout out to them.

One specifically in St. Louis started called Dads and that acronym stands for Dads actively doing story time.

And yeah, they were able to talk to their local library and brought on some dads to, you know, attend.

So yeah, encouraging your local library to have some type of program.

A Daddy Me program, you know, there are so many groups and things for moms.

But again, we need to make sure dads aren't just supported.

For themselves, but also can be included in their child's educational infrastructure and not just seeing that as something moms do.

'cause you know, when you think about it from the time they're infants, majority of the teachers that they're seeing in media.

On these YouTube channels, right?

It's mostly women.

You know, if you're engaging in YouTube and you subscribe to Miss Rachel or Ms. Houston, miss Tasha there are a couple men YouTube channels, but a lot of them, they're a little more about energy and some of it is very overstimulated if I might ask.

But I think having males being seen.

At that age, it's so important because a child's brain is being formed.

I think 90% of it is being developed from age zero to five, right?

So that's before they get to school.

Then they get to school and they already have that brain kind of formed associating education with women, and now they get in the school system and 75% of the teachers are women.

So at what point, you know what I mean, will they be able to associate dads men with this critical task?

Like we have not, and we don't even have to go there.

But we have not talked about this being a crisis that we are in right now, a literacy crisis.

And it is gonna take more than just one gender to address it.

And so yeah, I'll say that.

Erin Bailey: Absolutely.

And you know, there's tons of research on.

Mothers reading aloud to their children and teachers, as you pointed out, are also many times women.

But there is research now.

This is a study that came out of Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which is based, it's based in Australia, but I think we can learn a lot from the results that fathers.

Doing story time reading aloud to their kids resulted in a 40% increase in children's vocabulary.

So I think, you know, there's a lot that we can learn just from that study and on the importance of fathers.

Yeah, I.

Khari Arnold: I'm familiar with that one.

There's another one that was based out, I wanna say London and it tracked how many dads are active, are actually reading to their kids daily.

And that number was 47%.

And so that just tells me like, you know, half of these dads are missing the opportunity to do what you just said.

Erin Bailey: Absolutely.

And I mean unfortunately it's everyone.

Right now.

That's, I mean, the next generation.

I'm a millennial parent myself.

I often say that but Gen Z parents Harper Collins.

Study found only 41% read aloud to their children daily, so even less than the fathers.

In the study that, that you were just mentioning.

Khari Arnold: That's a really good point.

In terms of the Gen Z generation, I read that.

And at what point will it reverse in a, you know, in a positive way?

Because I think we're in a time where reading proficiency is not just at an all time low, but reaching potential is being hindered by tech.

And so if we're going to continue, this isn't, it's not about turn into an anti-tech, anti AI conversation.

This is just gonna, I just wanna talk about reality right now.

Right.

When creativity is being stifled, when critical thinking is being stifled, when problem solving is being stifled, when empathy is continuing to decline, we need to promote the one thing that we know can build that skill.

So if I'm reading a book to my child and I ask questions like, what just happened?

I'm building his or her comprehension.

I ask questions like, well, why do you think they did that?

Now we're practicing critical thinking.

And what would you do if that were you?

Now we're engaging in problem solving.

Well, how did that make you feel?

Now we're tapping into emotional intelligence.

These are skills we're going to have to really embrace.

I don't know.

Nobody knows what the future is gonna hold in terms of the job market, right?

What we do know is there's going to be a huge reliance on a portfolio of skills.

And you have to do the thing that can help build those skills, right?

And so that's kind of what I'm concerned about.

Is people focusing too much on, are they good at technology?

Like, can a three-year-old manage an iPad and, you know, know how to swipe left and right?

I think that three-year-old may have just adopted to what they have seen.

I don't think that means that it, we'll go, I'll go on for days.

I think I made the point, right.

Erin Bailey: I am so with you, Kari and you kind of hinted at it earlier.

You brought it up when you're going on a car ride, why not have a book in the car for your child when you are at a restaurant waiting for your food?

Why not have a book and the, you know, this is my personal opinion, but too many times I see kids with that are just given devices when there is passive time, you
know, waiting at the dentist's office, riding in the car, sitting at a restaurant, and all of those are opportunities to read or engage in conversation or storytelling.

Khari Arnold: And let me just, it's hard like parenting.

You have three.

Like you have three.

So I have one and I'm like, yo, it's hard.

I have those moments where I'm driving and I've thought, so just transparency.

My daughter doesn't, she doesn't really know what an iPad really is like.

She may have seen mine but.

She's never had one in the backseat, but I've had moments when I'm driving and I'm like, oh yeah, this would be a moment right here where if she was a tablet baby, I would throw that thing back there so fast.

It is hard.

So I really don't even con condemn, you know, parents at all who are just like tired and frustrated and, you know, just want peace.

But when we signed up for this, we ha we chose to like embrace these hard moments.

Right.

That it's so challenging.

And I'm gonna shout this book one more time.

The read a aloud handbook.

I'm gonna need to get on there their royalties because the way I be that book,

Erin Bailey: it so.

Khari Arnold: No, I actually met the author.

The author passed away, but his son reached out after seeing us on the Today Show.

And we met Vir virtually through, through email.

Really great family.

But there's a story in this book that talks about a family who would watch TV together over dinner, you know, and just.

Parent parents are, you know, doing their thing.

Kids are watching TV and you know, they're eating.

They said they wanna change that and they want to, you know, save TV for the weekends, right?

And engage in reading, you know, during the week and over dinner, the kids cried for two weeks straight over it.

These are older kids, right?

They cry for two weeks straight.

By week four, I mean, by day four.

I would've you know, been like, man, is this even gonna work?

Like, this is just a lot.

Day eight, this is just too much.

But eventually, as you start to associate reading with entertainment and not something that you're doing out of punishment, I'm not punishing you.

You know, during this dinner time, I'm showing you how this can actually be entertaining.

We can laugh over this.

We can build your imagination over this.

And over time, you know, you've kind of replaced that reliance on, you know, these screens and devices and whatnot by providing something else that they didn't really realize is fun to.

Erin Bailey: Absolutely.

And you know, some parents might be listening right now thinking.

Oh no.

You know, my child is already using their tablet every time we're in the car.

Like, what do I do?

Where do I start?

You?

And, you know, I don't want my child to cry for two weeks straight, but maybe start small.

Maybe just a couple times a week.

Replace looking at a tablet with telling a story or engaging in a conversation, reading a book.

These are all things that build language and literacy.

Khari Arnold: And expect it to be tough.

You know, it is as you.

As you parent, especially, you know, younger kids you see tantrums, right?

And we wanna do whatever we can to avoid it, but expect that transformation period to be, you know, somewhat challenging for you.

But just have the patience and know that, all right this will work and it will benefit them in the long run.

Right.

Erin Bailey: You know, that made me think of something because I am always an advocate of let children be children and create spaces that are friendly to children.

And children have tantrums, sometimes, especially toddlers.

They just do have, you know, what has your experience been in going to the library?

With children and parents and with little children.

And we typically, you know, some of us have memories of the library of having a mean old library and saying shh all the time.

Like what is it?

What is it like when you go with your group to the library?

I.

Khari Arnold: Okay.

Yeah.

So having had that I was gonna mention in terms of my daughter specifically first how I've seen her throw tantrums in the library.

It doesn't, it's not limited to, you know, the house.

It's, yeah, it'll be outdoors.

It'd be in the car if she's throwing attention in the library when it's time to leave, 'cause.

You know how transitions can be, right?

But in terms, yes.

In terms of the library dad space, our linkups are typically held inside a meeting room, like a library, meeting room.

So it's off, so it's not.

Like we're bothering other, you know, patrons.

We will go into the children's section, but typically the libraries we prefer to go to have like the children's section off to the side.

So it's not really, you know, gonna bother others in the adult section.

So, but I mean, even in today's age, you're not really getting.

There may be some libraries where you're getting that sh but for the most part especially when you know you are with kids it's pretty light on that front.

And we've had times where during our story time, inside the meeting room, baby may start crying or something, or you know, a toddler might,
might, we're all dads, so we all understand like nobody's looking around like who, you know, like when you're on an airplane who no we understand.

And we can tune it out and still, you know, pay attention.

So yeah.

I hope that answers your question.

Erin Bailey: Yeah, and I think that's part of the brotherhood too, right?

Normalizing children's actions, behaviors for each other, and being there for each other because you know how frustrating it can get when your child has a tantrum, but that's part of childhood.

Khari Arnold: Absolutely.

Nothing strengthens your emotional intelligence and resolve then being able to monitor how you react.

Moments.

Erin Bailey: So we're, this has been an amazing conversation.

Thank you so much, Kari.

We always end with this question because the podcast is called Reading Inspires.

What does Reading inspire for you?

Khari Arnold: Those moments?

That's a great question.

I would say reading inspires you to reach your full potential.

Yeah, it unlocks a version of you that you wouldn't have known existed.

I didn't go out expecting to lead a community of, you know, right now 700 families have been to the library Dads events.

Erin Bailey: Incredible.

Khari Arnold: Yeah, I didn't I didn't venture out into that just on my own.

It was a book that somewhat inspired that, you know.

And so when we have in total 700 dads and kids that have shown up and have expressed I've heard many of them express what is done for them.

But I didn't get there until I saw what it did for me.

And then you go even further, is what another author Jim Tra is what he did.

And he put that in a book.

I read it and now it unlocked a newer version of me.

And a lot of others are gonna be better for it if you start.

Thinking about how you can apply some of these principles.

I'm not just talking about, you know, the books about how to read to your kids, just anything, even fiction books.

That's, my wife's really into fiction books and they spark your creativity.

I haven't read one in a good minutes.

Been about six years since I've read a full fiction book.

But I remember reading that when I was like, okay, this actually got my mind spinning with just creativity.

Right?

And so, it just unlocks so much.

That's what, that's how reading inspires.

Erin Bailey: Thank you, Kari.

This has been inspiring and I hope all the families and educators and literacy lovers that are listening to this felt inspired too.

So thank you.

I.