Keep Reading To Your Children

In our house, books are our friends.  My mother-in-law, Jane, is a teacher and self professed bookie.  She passed this love of books on to my husband and is doing a darn good job with her grandchildren.  She sends books for every holiday, birthday, and random event you can name.  As a result, we have more books than a small town library.  We've read every single one of them to our children numerous times.  Some of them show signs of true love.  A few have had to be taped back together because they were so loved.  

As a child, I would read anything I could get my hands on.  I love that my own children share my love of reading.  Books fuel a child's imagination and allow them to dream.  As an adult I still get inspiration from books. 

My 3 year old knows so many stories by heart that she often opens a book and reads it to herself - goofy Dad voices and all.  

My middle child, who turns 6 on Saturday, is my biggest book junkie.  He gets side tracked by books at the funniest times.  I went to check on him tonight and found him sprawled on his back reading a book.  He was lying there in all his naked glory, having been distracted from getting into his pajamas.  I asked him to get dressed and he begged me to read a Star Wars book to him.  I struck a deal and soon we were snuggled up in cozy pj's reading about Darth Vader.

I was motivated to write this post by a fellow blogger, The Book Chook.  I have recently discovered her blog and am addicted to it.  In her post yesterday she interviewed Susan, who blogs at the Eclectic Reader.  In the course of this interview they discussed reading to your children at all ages.  

As I read this interview, I suddenly realized that it had been a few weeks since I had read to my eldest child, who is almost 9.  He has been so engrossed in reading the second Harry Potter book that our usual reading dates have fallen by the wayside.

My big guy is growing up, but it was never my intention to stop reading to him.  I love reading to my children and I fully recognize the benefits of reading to them.  

Thank you to the The Book Chook and this particular interview for the reminder that, as our children grow more independent we must not underestimate the benefits they receive when we read to and with them.

Books are our friends.