So, let’s talk about reading.
I’ve always believed that if I show my daughter how much I enjoy books and make sure there are books everywhere around the house, eventually she’ll pick up the habit too. At least, that was my hope.
And guess what? It actually worked!
I think I’ve done a pretty good job of being a reading role model. Whenever I take my daughter to her activities and have to wait for her, I always bring a book with me. Between scrolling through my phone and picking up a book, I make a conscious effort to choose the book.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I never scroll through my phone. But I do try to make reading my first choice, especially when she’s around. After all, I can’t expect her to love reading if she never sees me doing it myself, right?
She started reading when she was just three years old. I still remember her very first Christmas wish to “Santa” — a complete set of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. Of all the things she could have asked for, she wanted books! I thought that was pretty sweet.
And that was just the beginning of her little reading journey.
Fast forward to today, she’s a fourth grader now, and books are pretty much part of our everyday life.
We read during breakfast. We read while waiting for appointments. We read when we’re bored. Basically, whenever we have a little free time, there’s probably a book somewhere nearby.
Sometimes, I even have to remind her to put her book down and get ready for school. She gets so caught up in a story that she completely forgets to eat her breakfast!
And there I am, rushing around in the morning, telling the same child I encouraged to read more to please stop reading and finish her food.
Funny how things turn out, isn’t it?
We also still have our little reading routine every night. She reads to me for 15 minutes, and then I read to her for another 15 minutes. It’s our 30 minutes together, just us and a good book.
I have to admit, I was a little worried when it was time for her to move from picture books to chapter books. Would she still enjoy reading without all those colorful illustrations? Would she get bored with pages full of words?
Apparently, I was worrying for nothing. She made the transition just fine.
Over the years, we’ve read so many books together. Some made us laugh, some made us think, and some were just fun stories to get lost in.
Normally, we curl up on my bed and read together. But last night, I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to bed early and told her to keep her distance because I didn’t want her to get sick too.
Well, apparently, that wasn’t a good enough reason to skip reading time.
She grabbed her books, sat on a ball by my bedroom door, and started reading to me from there.
I mean, how sweet is that?
And it made me realize something. All these years, I thought I was teaching her to love books. But somewhere along the way, we also created a little tradition that means just as much to her as it does to me.
I know that one day she probably won’t need me sitting next to her at bedtime, reading another chapter. She’ll have her own books, her own favorite authors, and maybe even her own little reading routine.
And that’s what I’m hoping for. Not that she’ll always read with me, but that she’ll keep reading even when I’m not there.
Because in the end, I don’t just want her to be a good reader. I want her to love reading.
And hopefully, that love will stay with her for a lifetime.
