I am a reader. Not just a reader, but a lover of reading. I love books. I love becoming engrossed in a story so much that you can't put the book down. I love reading to learn. A bookstore is a delight to me.
I wanted to pass that love on to my children. See, I have had the joy of teaching each of my children to read. Some came to it quite easily and others struggled. I love that moment when I would hear, "Could I just finish this chapter, Mom?"
One of my strugglers, my darling Sarah, is a lively, passionate lover of storytelling and writing. She couldn't wait to read and yet she struggled. Oh, the agony! For this girl loves to do everything that delights her, perfectly!
Over the last two years, it clicked for her and she has taken off!
She is 10.
It is such a joy to me to have had the privilege of opening the doors to a world of learning!
“The greatest gift is a passion for reading.”
- Elizabeth Hardwick
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
“A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.”
“Choose an author as you choose a friend.”
11 comments:
Great post. Books are amazing and so is this precious girl. I'm glad she stuck with it until it became a joy to her.
Oh this was a good one! The Hobbit? Now that is an ambitious reading project. I'd say that she's all caught up now.
Christopher was slow to enjoy reading but he is slightly dyslexic.
I remember when he went from reading simple books to huge French novels! He loved the stories and struggled through the first a bit but then said the reading kept getting easier.
One of the (many!) benefits of being a homeschool mom: when the reading-for-pleasure kicks in! It has happened at different ages/stages for each of my children...but oh the joy when it does!
(Love the quotes you shared too.)
The blessings of being a home schooling mom! :)
I love books too and the quotes you shared are wonderful.
I enjoy reading and when my first daughter was born, I thought "This is going to be the child that gets in trouble for reading in bed with a flashlight." Its true.
She loves to read and it is torture for the poor girl to go to bed and actually go to sleep! What a wonderful world it has opened for her. She just turned 11 last week and her favorite pasttime is reading. Now, I am working with that 7 year old! She isn't so fond of it, but like you said, I am waiting for it to CLICK!
Your photos captured so beautifully what you shared ~ she must bring joy to your heart in so many ways. I, too, had a mother who read to me.
Our family loves reading too! My daughter is teaching her kiddies to read. The other day when I went to visit, the eldest grand (a girl) who is 6 read me one of her books. I was shocked because she reads on a high level and with expression and accents! She is a character. Our whole family purchased kindles because our homes we running out of space for books. Hubby and I downsized two years ago and we got rid of a ton of books. Now we have to carefully decide which "real books" we purchase and which ebooks.
The picture of her reading just delights me. Your post gets a huge AMEN from this lap reading mom who is fond of telling young parents the importance of it. When I was a classroom teacher, parents used to ask me all the time how to improve their child's reading ability. No matter how many times I would say it to some of them, they just couldn't seem to grasp that my advice to READ was all there is in a nutshell. Read to them. Read with them. Listen to them read. Just r.e.a.d.
I am so grateful that I have two who love to read too.
They loved the same books she does as well.
I had no mentor or example as a child for pleasure reading. No trips to the library, no story time at close of day. When I became a parent I shared the JOY of the written word with our daughter. Together we discovered Lloyd Alexander, C.S.Lewis, Tolkien, Cynthia Rylant, E.L. Konigsburg, Maud Hart Lovelace and more. Precious time, wonderful memories. By 2nd grade she was reading chapter books, by 3rd grade she was in GATE programming. Books help children excel. Your family is lucky to have a reading Mom.
As a reader and book lover myself I recognize that you have given your children a truly priceless gift. Like you, I have quite a hard time putting down a book once I've dug in! When growing up my parents had to set a book ban at the dinner table as we all wouldn't want to tear ourselves away!
I adore Lewis and am in the long process of re-reading "The Lord of the Rings" a few chapters at a time. :)
Love,
Tracey
XoX
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