The Gift of Reading

I read books to my kids from the time they were tiny babies until my oldest was in middle school. I wish I would have continued a little longer but life kind of got in the way for a while. If I could give any piece of advice to a new parent it would be to read to your kids! Some of my sweetest memories revolved around a book and not just for me, my oldest daughter still talks about it. We read at night before bed, on road trips (obviously not while I was driving), when they were sick, and during COVID when we were all stuck at home together for days! I used silly voices and tried to make the stories come alive. It gave us time together but it also gave us something to talk about. I am typically a person who struggles to sit for any length of time; I’m always finding something to do. Reading gave me a reason to pause and just be with my kids. Intellectually, it was also great for their little minds and increased their vocabulary but the bonding time was invaluable. When they were babies and toddlers, I will admit that sometimes reading the same book over and over at their request could make you go a little crazy especially if the book only had 4 or 5 words on each page! But the precedent of reading time together was being set and as they got older, the books became more and more fun to read. A trip to the library was a part of our weekly routine.  Maybe I am kind of old in my thinking but there is something special about holding a physical book and turning each page with your child. I miss those times now that they are older but I cherish the memories that we made. So grab a book or two or three and enjoy! Start as young as possible, even if there are only a few words on each page, it’s worth it.