Learning to Love to Read

Andy loves to read. If he has a spare minute, he usually has a book in his hand. He reads on buses (standing), in cars, on the couch, in the bed, and he's even been known to read in the middle of Times Square, rather than seeing the city with the rest of his family. I, on the other hand, wish that I loved to read that much. I didn't grow up reading much, so it's been a slow, acquired taste for me. And when I read, I often end up asleep. Just today I was reading to Emma Grace before her nap and I fell asleep for about 15 minutes while she continued to read on her own. This happens most days. I like to call that my power nap for the day. After 15 minutes sleeping in her bed, I get up, put away the books (that she read), tuck her in for a nap, and I'm ready for the rest of my day.

So, as you can tell, Emma Grace gets her love of reading from her Daddy. I remember just 9 months ago, I could hardly get her to sit through an entire book, but now, books are a major form of entertainment and education in our house. We often read together before naps and bedtime and she usually has some quiet reading time on her own each day. I've started making cozy little spots, like the one in the picture, for her to sit and read. If I add in a snack, she is sure to read for quite a long time!

Our books are shaping the way we see the world. We often quote lines from books to each other when a situation reminds us of our favorite books. When we see a great hat, we say, "I like that party hat!" or when I tell her I love her, I sometimes tell her "I love you to the moon and back." Books that were written for 3 and 4 year olds manage to delight my heart as well. I am learning to love reading as I teach my own children to love to read.

With no Mebane Library just minutes down the road, good English books are hard to come by here. A couple of months ago, Laura and I started a book swap. Every two weeks we trade ten books. That way our kiddos have some fun new reading material every couple of weeks. And my mom and Kathi started the Granny Book Mobile, where they send books to our kids each month to stay connected to them and to supply them with fun new books. There is an international school in our city and they allow non-students to use their library for a small fee. I am really looking forward to taking EG periodically to their library. So between all those resources, we have some great reading material!

Jack still prefers to eat books. Like me, he's a work in progress!