A few nights ago I watched the movie The Blind Side. There is a scene in the film where Leigh Anne Tuohy is reading to SJ and Michael while daughter Collins is sitting outside the door listening to her mother read to the two boys. That scene curled around my heart and brought back wonderful memories of my mother gathering my sister, brother and I together and reading stories to us at bedtime.
I credit my mother and bedtime stories with starting my interest and enjoyment in reading. As I grew older, I made up stories for my siblings and cousins. Eventually, those stories morphed into manuscripts. Now, I have the pleasure of creating characters and plots for my own novels that I hope others enjoy.
Reading is an experience that can be shared by the whole family. I believe it is so important for parents to read to their children and have kids read to parents. Having a child read aloud helps parents gauge how well a child comprehend what they read.
My husband and I listen to books on CD during dinner and spend part of our dinner hour critiquing those stories. It's a nice way to spend time together and share the experience of a book.
How about you? Do you have a story to share about reading? Email me or click on the link provided.
Remember, don't be a stranger. I'd love to hear from you.
4 comments:
It was generally remarked upon around my house that I read far too much. It wasn't unusual for me to be told to do something else besides reading. I used to hide in the barn, or other places, and read. I had quite a few reading hidey holes around the farm.
In my home while growing up, books were sacred, despite the fact that neither of my parents had more than an elementary school education. I remember always reading and at ten years old hiding in the bathroom to read a Mills and Boon Romance that my mother deemed too mature for me calling them "dirty books".
Now as a parent, I read to my kids and have my oldest read to me every night. My oldest earn TV time and rewards by reading books a little above her reading level. Even my one year old opens the books and babble. I am trying my best to pass on my love for books to them.
I think it's a great idea to have your children earn tv time through reading. A few years back I was an after school coordinator. Basically, I ran a program for underachievers. One of the approaches I used was, if the students did their work all month, I'd allow them to watch a movie. I'd turn off the sound and turn on the close caption and made them read the dialogue. It helped their reading and attention span. There are many ways parents can pass on the love of reading. You have to find what works for you kid and use it.
My mother is an avid reader who passed on her love of reading to us. Despite this, I was often told while growing up that my head was always in a book. It was not meant as a compliment.
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