Here’s a photo I snapped this evening (using my smart reasonably intelligent phone):
I took this picture at about 8:00 in the evening. Owen is reading to his sister, who selected the Dr. Seuss classic Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him! to read with her brother. In fact, she was on a bit of a Seussian kick this evening, as she also had him read Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, and Would You Rather be a Bullfrog?
This is so great for so many reasons I’m not even sure I can count them all. Still, I’ll try…
1) I once read that the best indicator that children will grow up to be lifelong readers is not whether or not they were read to, but whether or not they observed their parents reading. My kids certainly observe their parents reading all the time. My life has become immeasureably improved in profound ways due to books I have read through the years (75.1% of the books I’ve read are non-fiction), and I am thrilled to see this love of learning being passed onto my kids. It’s a great way to ensure that, in a world of Tweets and memes, they will possess the desire and talent to thoroughly digest a topic when the need arises.
2) Owen is almost done with second grade, so I’m pleased that he’s become a competent reader by now. Earlier this weekend, I saw him reading a book on dinosaurs, and another one on the periodic table. The book he’s reading to Isla in the above photo is, of course, a few steps down from he earlier reads, but I like that he kept his audience in mind and read to her level. Overhearing him this evening, I was happy to hear him not only read every word correctly, but to also employ that sing-song voice that’s so vital to bring Seuss’ words alive.
3) Jennifer and I read to that kid all the time – and he owes us. While other two- and three-year olds would fall asleep in the car on the way home and then allow mom or dad to lay them sweetly into be for the night, Owen would bolt straight upright upon putting the car in park (I can’t tell you how many times I drove at about 1mph to avoid coming to a complete stop at red lights, and thus waking up Owen), and demand performing his routine, even if it was 11:30 at night. Yes, yes, of course we would say, “No, it’s too late and we’re too tired,” but then he would be upset and cry for an hour. All in all, then, it was better to just do the routine. And that routine consisted of reading – sometimes ten books at a time. And, like me, he had a preference for non-fiction. I had to force him to sit through Cowboy Small one evening in an effort to show him there’s joy to be had in fiction, as well. So, yeah, he owes us. Glad to see him helping out in the evening as we wind things down.
4) Isla is an incessant reader. She brings us books all the time and, if we’re too busy, she’ll sit on the floor, page through book after book, and approximate the text as best she can. She doesn’t even need a book; she’s happy to “page” through old birthday cards, instruction manuals, and even completely blank Post-It Note pads. It’s tough to keep up with her apatite for reading. In fact, all those anti-gay marriage troglodytes are wrong: The best family for a child is not 1 man + 1 woman, it’s, like 5 men + 5 women. I know this because Jennifer and I can hardly keep up with the two we have. It’s great of Owen to help out in this regard.
Jennifer and I believe that Isla will begin reading at a younger age than Owen. I hope she does. Owen spent the last hour of his night reading quietly up in the bedroom before turning off the light. I checked in on him and he looked up from his book and told me some fact about this flying reptile from the Cretaceous Period that was seven times larger than humans. “Daddy,” he said, “I was picturing you standing outside and then trying to picture something seven times bigger than you! Oh wow! I can’t even think of how they could fly!” Isla, likewise, will be able to keep herself occupied a lot easier once she can read.
I found a used copy of “Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?” by Dr Seuss for my youngest son. I remember reading it when I was in grade school and I couldn’t think of the the title until recently. I loved the drawings of the curvy buildings and staircases winding in and out of the doorways.
Are you still blogging here at this site? I have been checking every week and I have not seen anything here for a while.
This post made me realize that my children don’t really ever see me read (to myself). While they are almost always aware of the books I’m currently reading and probably have a good idea of when I read, if there’s something to having them SEE me reading, they aren’t getting that. Having them around and me reading are very much mutually exclusive events. In fact, their not-being-around is my cue to start reading.
After I read your post, I made sure to read the book I was on while they were around. Coincidentally, it was a book suitable for children so they convinced me to read it to them. I started over from the beginning with them and, once again, they aren’t seeing me read (to myself). And it kind of reinforces this idea that there is something different between them seeing me read to them and them seeing me read to myself. It’s like they were saying, “Look, dad’s reading a book and not to us, what gives?”
So now I have to find a book to read that I can have a good excuse for not reading to them. Read any good smutty romance novels lately? (<— in-joke for regular blog readers.)
Cory – Yeah, that’s a funny one (“Did I Ever Tell You…”). I should get that one for my kids; I don’t think either of them have ever seen it.
Yes, I still blog here. But I had three presentations to give this month, a trip to Boston through my employer and, as of today, I’ll be gone again for about five days, so I decided to take a temporary hiatus. I’ll post something soon.
David – Good point; I often read when my kids aren’t around, too (lunch break at work, after they’re in bed). My son is also at the age now where he comes up to me and inquires about what I’m reading, and it’s usually too complicated for me to want to explain to him. Just last night, in fact, he asked about “The Devil in the White City,” a book I took with me on my work trip and didn’t quite finish.
I should probably search around and see if there really is something to kids seeing their parents read. Like I said in the original post, I read that somewhere once, but I can’t recall where. It might have just been in a magazine I paged through in a dentist office waiting room one day.
I was going to visit the library yesterday and pick up a smutty romance novel, but I didn’t have the time. Maybe next week.