Recommendations: The Wonder of Reading

So experts say that reading is great for kids, and that we should start reading to them starting from the belly. So you decide to take your little boy, Johnny, to the library for some time in the books. You walk hand in hand to the kiddie section and flip through books. Through your right ear you hear another mommy gleefully sharing an exciting story with her child.

“The rat took the bat and told the snake to scat!...See the rat? It’s grey. And look at the snake: what color is it? The child answers “turquoise” Mom says that’s right honey. Good job…”

Some weird competitive feeling comes over you. You say ‘Honey, let’s go pick a book. As the imaginary envious parents watch you, you squat to your kid’s level and ask him affectionately,

“Honey, what do you want to read? Want to read about cars,” Picking up a book on the subject. “Or, or what about horses?!

Johnny takes the horse book from you…then reaches up to the shelf above him and knocks several books down. You say ‘Oh Johnny, you want to read all these books? Okay let’s read some and take some books out.”

Clever.

So you take him to a little table and you sit down placing him on your lap. You start to read the horse book together. It was quite nice actually. He would touch the pages and help you turn. Then all of a sudden he starts struggling and manages to get out of your grasp. You take off after him and once you catch him you say

‘Honey, you should have told me you needed to go to the bathroom. Let’s go.”

Ah, the potty trained trick. Good one.

So you go to the bathroom, check if he needs to be changed and head back out.

Johnny spots the play section where there are a bunch of blocks to play with. You go over and he’s fascinated with the blocks. You sit down and watch him.

‘He’s so cute and he’s learning so much’, you think as he knocks two blocks together. ‘And it’s so good to see him playing with other kids.’ You’ve almost got tears in your eyes.

Then Johnny throws a block. You say “Now, now honey, don’t throw”. You smile at the other parents around you. Then he runs his hands along the table scattering towers and arrangements. Clinched tear “Honey, play nice…” You look at another mom: “Kids these days.” The kids continue to play civilly for a while when Johnny grabs a block from another kid. When the kid tries to get it back, he pushes the kid down and mistakenly smacks another. “Okay honey, it’s time to go.” You pull him away as calmly as you can.

Don’t worry, keep it up. Johnny is going to be an avid reader and civil member of society—just not at 13 months!

Based on a true story :p

2011