Reading


On the end table to the left of my couch I keep a stack of books; mostly books on pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partem care. But there are also a few reference books that i like out so that I can flip through them from time to time; one full of activity ideas, one on budgeting tips, and one on toddler and preschool child behavior. On top of this stack is How Children Learn by Holt, the book I’m trying to finish. Sometimes E will pull a book or two from this pile and thrust it upon me, begging me to read. I never do. I am always thinking that he will get frustrated by the adult language and bored by the lack of colorful pictures. I try to brush him off, which works sometimes as he happily bounces into his room to get one of his books for me to read to him. But sometimes he is very insistant, very determinned that I will read to him from one of my books. If he’s in a calm mood and I know he won’t rip them to shreds I’ll let him flip through them, but I’ve never actually set down and tried to read to him. It just seemed like a silly idea.

Then tonight, after the boys were in bed sound asleep and Dearest was off at the store I flipped on the small table light and began reading from Holt.

“There’s no reason to feel, either, that we must always read aloud to little children from ‘easy’ books that they can ‘understand’. If we are reading something we like, with great expression and pleasure, a child may well like it, at least for a while, even if he doesn’t understand all of it. After all, children like hearing adults talk, even though they can’t understand much or most of it. Why not reading as well?” - How Children Learn; Holt p.103

So maybe the next time E tries to shove upon me one of my “adult” books I’ll sit him down and read to him. Whats the worst that could happen - besided him explaining childbirth tohis grandmother at the dinner table? *snickers*


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Published by: Summer on August 23rd, 2006 | Filed under life



2 Responses to “Reading”

  1. The Maven Says:
    August 24th, 2006 at 7:25 pm

    What Intrepid told his kindergarten teacher after his brother’s birth:

    “My brother was trying to fit through the birth canal, but the cord was around him and he couldn’t come out, so they had to cut my mom’s stomach open and take him out that way. Now she has staples!”

    I’m guessing a few parents - and grandmothers - enjoyed some interesting conversation at the table that night :P

    I like what Holt has to say about reading to children. Mine wouldn’t be terribly interested in childbirth books, but they do love fetal development (we have a great book on that with stunning pictures). I’ll sometimes find Intrepid reading it to Gutsy. It’s so cute!

    Enjoy your reading times :)

  2. Mama Chaos Says:
    August 24th, 2006 at 7:32 pm

    :) When I was still pregnant with A and planning a homebirth I spent a lot of time with E on my lap looking at birth pictures online. I wanted him to be used to the idea so when he saw it happening he wouldn’t be too scared. I swear he was the calmest out of the three of us when I went into labor. *laughs*

    Luckily he’s only been teaching random stranger about who has what body part, nothing yet about birth. *snort*

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