Last night, while eating supper, Caiden had a question. Caiden has many questions ... but that is another story for another day.
"Mom, do you know why reading is important?" he asked.
"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me," I answered him. I love to hear my kids' perspectives on the world.
"Well, it's important because you get to learn new words," he explained. "Like ... words you have never used before."
"That is very true," I agreed. "Reading can really help expand your vocabulary." He smiled, happy to have found something we agree upon - it is important to Caiden that we are like-minded.
I went on to tell him that when I was a child, I read all the time. And, because I read all the time, I was reading novels at an early age. But, sometimes, I did not know what the words meant; that is, there were times that I could not define specific words. However, I always got the gist. Caiden found this interesting.
"You mean, you didn't know what every word meant?" he asked. When we read together, he ALWAYS stops me if he has not heard the word before or is unsure of its meaning. Always. He is a perfectionist and an avid learner, and so he must always know the answer. This is not always a good thing.
"Nope."
"Well, how did you know what the story was about?" he wanted to know.
"Well, I would read the whole sentence or paragraph and come to an understanding of what the writer was trying to describe," I explained. There are many ways to learn and I think that I benefited greatly from developing the ability to get the gist. You do not have to understand every single word to understand the message or to get the point.
Caiden is eight years old and an extraordinary reader. He thinks that the other children in his class are pathetic readers, but what he doesn't understand is that there are many adults who do not read aloud as well as he does. He reads with inflection and emphasis ... I love listening to him.
So why does he insist on me reading to him each night? He doesn't need me to read his story anymore, and he doesn't need my help to learn to read. And yet, he insists that we read together each night.
In just about any situation, I have found that if you want to know the answer to a question, the best way to find out ... is to just ask. So I did. And do you know what he said? "Because I like to have time with only you and me. It's our special time, Mommy."
Now, you can't really argue with that, can you?
And, I love that he is articulate enough to put it into words - at the age of eight years old.
I recently read an article in the New York Times about the importance of reading with your child. And, as Caiden pointed out, it's not just to teach your child to read ... it is important for many different reasons.
The article tells the story of a single father, with two daughters, who just happens to be a Librarian. When his oldest daughter was in the 4th Grade, she announced that she no longer wanted to read with her Dad. Jim Brozina was heart-broken and became determined to find a way to keep his younger daughter, Kristen, interested in reading with him. So, when she entered into Grade 4, he came up with The Streak ... a challenge to read together for 100 bedtimes in a row. While celebrating their success over pancakes, Kristen suggested that they extend The Streak ... to 1000 nights. And, when they eventually met that goal, it seemed impossible to stop.
So, Jim Brozina and his daughter, Kristen, read together every single night from November 11, 1997 until September 2, 2006 - Kristen's first day of College. She has gone on to win National writing contests and has been accepted into the Masters in Liberal Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He continues to spread the good news about the importance of reading. To read the entire New York Times article, click here. It is a wonderful story.
The one thing that stands out in my mind, however, is that when everything else was crazy or unpredictable in her life, Kristen could alway count on The Streak. It was a constant. And sometimes, children need that reassurance. Let's be honest, we can all use some things in our lives that we can count on.
It is a really simple thing - reading each night - but it held such an importance in Brozina family. Such importance, in fact, that they each made many sacrifices to keep their nightly ritual.
So, when you read to your child each night, know that it is about more than just the reading part. They look forward to spending time with you. And they remember it as special time you spent together.
So, do you know why reading is important?
"Mom, do you know why reading is important?" he asked.
"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me," I answered him. I love to hear my kids' perspectives on the world.
"Well, it's important because you get to learn new words," he explained. "Like ... words you have never used before."
"That is very true," I agreed. "Reading can really help expand your vocabulary." He smiled, happy to have found something we agree upon - it is important to Caiden that we are like-minded.
I went on to tell him that when I was a child, I read all the time. And, because I read all the time, I was reading novels at an early age. But, sometimes, I did not know what the words meant; that is, there were times that I could not define specific words. However, I always got the gist. Caiden found this interesting.
"You mean, you didn't know what every word meant?" he asked. When we read together, he ALWAYS stops me if he has not heard the word before or is unsure of its meaning. Always. He is a perfectionist and an avid learner, and so he must always know the answer. This is not always a good thing.
"Nope."
"Well, how did you know what the story was about?" he wanted to know.
"Well, I would read the whole sentence or paragraph and come to an understanding of what the writer was trying to describe," I explained. There are many ways to learn and I think that I benefited greatly from developing the ability to get the gist. You do not have to understand every single word to understand the message or to get the point.
Caiden is eight years old and an extraordinary reader. He thinks that the other children in his class are pathetic readers, but what he doesn't understand is that there are many adults who do not read aloud as well as he does. He reads with inflection and emphasis ... I love listening to him.
So why does he insist on me reading to him each night? He doesn't need me to read his story anymore, and he doesn't need my help to learn to read. And yet, he insists that we read together each night.
In just about any situation, I have found that if you want to know the answer to a question, the best way to find out ... is to just ask. So I did. And do you know what he said? "Because I like to have time with only you and me. It's our special time, Mommy."
Now, you can't really argue with that, can you?
And, I love that he is articulate enough to put it into words - at the age of eight years old.
I recently read an article in the New York Times about the importance of reading with your child. And, as Caiden pointed out, it's not just to teach your child to read ... it is important for many different reasons.
The article tells the story of a single father, with two daughters, who just happens to be a Librarian. When his oldest daughter was in the 4th Grade, she announced that she no longer wanted to read with her Dad. Jim Brozina was heart-broken and became determined to find a way to keep his younger daughter, Kristen, interested in reading with him. So, when she entered into Grade 4, he came up with The Streak ... a challenge to read together for 100 bedtimes in a row. While celebrating their success over pancakes, Kristen suggested that they extend The Streak ... to 1000 nights. And, when they eventually met that goal, it seemed impossible to stop.
So, Jim Brozina and his daughter, Kristen, read together every single night from November 11, 1997 until September 2, 2006 - Kristen's first day of College. She has gone on to win National writing contests and has been accepted into the Masters in Liberal Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He continues to spread the good news about the importance of reading. To read the entire New York Times article, click here. It is a wonderful story.
The one thing that stands out in my mind, however, is that when everything else was crazy or unpredictable in her life, Kristen could alway count on The Streak. It was a constant. And sometimes, children need that reassurance. Let's be honest, we can all use some things in our lives that we can count on.
It is a really simple thing - reading each night - but it held such an importance in Brozina family. Such importance, in fact, that they each made many sacrifices to keep their nightly ritual.
So, when you read to your child each night, know that it is about more than just the reading part. They look forward to spending time with you. And they remember it as special time you spent together.
So, do you know why reading is important?
1 comments:
I love this post!! What a great story. Enjoy this time with your son(kids). I miss it even though we spend alot of time together still , it's changed which is also okay. I still get hugs and "I love you too's" every night (don't tell his friends!)