A Reader

Hey there,

“My kid could read when he was 3.”

“My kid read the Harry Potter series in a week, when she was 8.”

 “My kid knows the ABC’s, and he is only 18 months.”

“My kid reads at an eighth grade level, and she is in second grade.”

Well, my kid did none of these things, but I would still call him a “reader”. Both his dad and I were/are readers, and when I was pregnant we dreamed about having a quiet child who sat next to us on the couch and read.

(Don’t laugh… OK, you can laugh) We were very naïve, obviously. We also dreamed about having a child who picked up one toy before he played with another. I think we were a little more than naïve... delusional, maybe?

At that time, we read a book that told us the best way to raise a reader is to have a house full of books. According to this book simply having shelves of books is even more important than the child seeing you read or reading to the child.

Very interesting.

We, as do many parents, as evidenced by the quotes you read above, felt that reading was important. We wanted to raise a “reader.” When my kid chooses to read rather than be on an electronic device, or when he asks to go to the library so he can research whatever it is that he is obsessed about that week, or when he asks for a book as a birthday present, I smile. I guess all those bookshelves we filled have really paid off.

So why do I hear myself saying things like this:

“You just lost yourself a book, mister, throw that one more time, and you will lose another one!”

“You cannot read another chapter of that book until you go outside and run around the block! I am going to hide it from you, I’m serious!” 

“NO! You can’t start the book tonight! You have to wait until we are at the airport, not a second before!”

Hmmmmmmm…..

Having a reader isn’t all that we thought it would be all those many years ago. It can be expensive and exhausting, actually, and there can be a fair amount of driving around that becomes necessary.

Who knew? No weekend-long baseball tournaments for us. No expensive hockey uniforms or arguments trying to limit his screen time. But I do have to mediate the occasional debate regarding which Narnia book one should start with, or hope that the Fablehaven book that just came in at the library is #4 and not #5, or figure out where the closest Barnes and Noble is in Naples, FL, when an emergency trip is needed for the plane the next day.

What is the lesson for me here? Be careful what you wish for? I don’t think that is it. Since I didn’t really get what I wanted, I wanted a QUIET reader, you might recall. I think the lesson might be everything in moderation. Sure, being a reader is great, but you have to get outside every once in a while, interact with the world and the people in it. 

You can’t just read about stuff, you have to live it; plus, he is looking a bit pale.

Thanks for checking in –

 Irene