I have always loved books. It’s probably the one thing in my life that I can say I have always, always enjoyed. So it is no surprise that I turned to teaching them as an adult. As an English teacher, I obviously want my kids to enjoy reading.
Yet I am also acutely aware that trying to encourage your kids to like something you like doesn’t always work out how you want it to.
So instead, I buy books from every Scholastic catalog, read to them every night, and let them take out whatever they want from the library. I model for them, always with a book in my hand (well, let’s face it, downloaded on my phone…) or engaged in a conversation about books with my friends and family. But still, you never know.
My oldest son is going into second grade. I wish I could say he went into kindergarten able to read like I did, but that isn’t the reality. Instead, he made slow progress. Reading frustrated him, and he was reluctant to read on his own or even to try, preferring to rely on Mommy and Daddy to say the words aloud.
I tried to be encouraging without being overbearing. It wasn’t that he didn’t like books and stories; in fact, he loved them! He just wasn’t there yet.
And then something clicked. In first grade, he made slow but measured steps each week, improving. Before long (thanks to his teacher!), he was reading independently. He wanted to get under the covers and read to himself or us at bedtime. Buying him a book light so he could read while his little brother fell asleep on the top bunk was one of my best moments as a parent. Its brightness settings remind me of his journey to being a “book light” kid, brightening gradually until finally, the light goes “on.”
It’s wonderful to see him enjoy the process of reading a story on his own, getting immersed in a book and characters, and escaping to another world for a few moments before drifting off to sleep. He’s still working on a graphic novel series he loves and is not quite ready for the heftier chapter books…yet.
I give kids so much credit. They are literally learning to do brand-new things every single day. Things that adults all do daily and take for granted. Their brains are inundated with new information and skills. It’s incredible. So we need to be patient.
