From second grade to twelfth grade the library was always my favorite room in my school. Getting read to as a child? One of my favorite memories. I remember that my 3rd grade teacher went above and beyond and we had a special read aloud time every single day in her class, and I looked forward to it constantly. I absolutely love children's books. I don't think there is much we can do for our kids that shows more love and support than to read to them every day.
Now, I am not an expert in... anything? I am not a teacher, I did not take early childhood development (or any childhood development classes) or any teaching courses. This isn't based on numbers or facts or anything other than the fact that I loved to be read to as a kid. I know it's important to read to our kids because I've been told that, but seeing my kids face light up at "book time" is what really taught me that.
Of course there are days when he doesn't want to settle down or sit down at all, he's a 2.5 year old boy! He is not a machine, he's not always predictable. However, if I try and lay him down for a nap with out a book? He cries. He begs for it. This happens occasionally when we've been out for an extremely long time after normal nap time. But I've learned that even in those instances, 5-10 minutes of reading will help him settle down a lot easier and it's a wonderful way to show him how much I love him.
So.. am I reading to Declan constantly? Am I living up to that expectation I had for myself? Is that why my house looks like a disorganized library? No. I wish it was. Sometimes I still find it really hard to just sit down with a stack and read read read. I wish I didn't.
Don't get me wrong.. we read every day. In our house it's a bad day if we only read 3 books. A really bad day. Yesterday.. I think we read 5, total. That's probably not 20 minutes worth, and truly.. not enough for any kid especially a 2.5 year old that is hungry for knowledge. Declan definitely spends more time watching TV than he does reading books, on a daily basis. And it's something I am anxious to change.
But! I'm a work from home mom. I sometimes need that time, that quiet that peace that comes from a child mostly glued to the television. It's sad. It's not what I pictured my mothering to look like at all. I am disappointed in myself.
So why I am writing this? It's a challenge to myself.
-A challenge to pick up the books that are on every imaginable surface of our living area - because they come in the mail from Grandma, or come home from the cubby at school from our scholastic order and they haven't quite made it upstairs yet. A challenge to pick them up, and read them. And then! Find a good place to store them. To get organized!
-I need to go through his books.. there are so many that are meant for babies that he does still enjoy looking through, but many he's moved past that need to be stored for our next kidlet that eventually comes along. To make space for him to grow with the longer stories he now appreciates so much more.
-I need to not purchase anymore books (even for a dollar) until we read all of the books we already have. We get a nice sized box from Grandma (who used to be a Kindergarten teacher and is slowly gifting her stash to all her lucky grandchildren) every month, and there is really no need for me to be purchasing any books above and beyond this.
-And finally - to read for a larger portion of the day. To take my daily 3 book minimum and make it a daily 10 book minimum. We have the time. We have the resources. My kid deserves this, and so do I. I love that cuddle time and I need to cherish it more because these precious years are flying by.
Here are a couple of the really great books we are really enjoying recently:
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If I ended up with some doubles of children's books (I have already got a few) are there any mama's out there that would appreciate some gently used books? Most of the doubles are board books, but I know I have a few that are better for age 2+ If anyone is interested leave a note and I will post what I've got and either do a "give away" or just give them away. Let me know :)
I too really loved the library all throughout school. I remember reading Harriet The Spy, and then wanting to be just like her, making a fort in our tree outside and making notes about the people that passed by. Books open up our minds, and I really enjoy that. One of the reasons I want to read 10 non-fiction books this year is to gather more of that knowledge that's out there just waiting to be captured. My favourite book growing up was Wild Violets, (http://www.amazon.com/Wild-violets-Phyllis-Green/dp/0840765312). Somehow my brother remembered this, and bought me a copy for Christmas a few years ago, brought me to tears instantly. He's always really thoughtful like that. But, after reading your post, I don't recall ever being read to growing up, except by teachers. I wish I had those bedtime memories, and I'm not sure why my mum wouldn't have read to me. My only guess is because she doesn't read much. Hrmmn... anyways, I'm sure Declan loves the time that you and him read together. Even if there are times he's not a willing participant, I'm sure he enjoys it on some level. And, one last though - I think you're a very cool mum, one that appears to be doing a fantastic job raising a smart boy!
ReplyDeleteWe could use more books!
ReplyDeleteI will take any books of your hands! I'm a book hoarder. We get board books at the library pretty regularly. We went yesterday because books were due today and I realized the books we were turning in we had only read the day we got them from the library. I want to make more time for reading too. I always take him outside if I have time to spend with him not doing things around the house. I always read to him before nap and bed. Curtis reads little blue truck to him every night and I love hearing him recognize parts of it. That's a great book if you don't already have it. You should read the little stories blog about books. I think she says to rotate books every 2 weeks with toys and just have 5 out at a time. I didn't realize you work from home.
ReplyDelete