The things we value most are associated with reading. For many of us, some of our fondest memories are of our parents reading bedtime stories to us. At the time, it wasn’t a momentous thing, we just felt it was a special time where we felt protected and comfortable wrapped up in the love of our parents.
Children who often see their parents reading are more likely to become good readers themselves. I always remember my father with a stack of library books on the table beside his chair in the livingroom. It spoke to my heart. Reading came to be a natural part of my life.
I was fortunate to marry a woman who shared the passion for reading. And read we did. Between us we read through every book James Michener wrote. Some where two volumes. We read fiction and non-fiction, including the Bible. We made books available to our kids as they grew up. Although money was often scarce, somehow we always managed to buy books for them.
I noted , that when they were little, they often wanted the same story read over and over. Yet in time they wanted to move on. It’s important not to push young readers. Their developing minds are striving to become literate. Reading out loud to them is essential. It helps them form words.
Reading is a complex skill. It takes time and practice but the rewards are great. Coupled with learning facts and grasping the relationship of them, one to the other, they soon learn how to organize. Good organizational skills are essential in today’s world. Instructional reading in the workplace is on the rise and those who can read and comprehend, whether in books or on the computer screen, will be the ones chosen for advancement.
For young parents today getting their kids to read runs into a stiff headwind with flat screen technology. My suggestion is, start young. Set a good example. Don’t give up. The positive benefits of instilling a love for reading in your children are priceless: Success in school, in work, in human relations, in understanding the world we live in, and in forging closer bonds of love in family and relationships.
The greatest legacy my father left me was a love of reading. May it be within you means to past it on to your children.
