Sept. 13, SATURDAY. We just came home from the Manila International Book Fair. As with any trip to a book sale, I'm totally beat. I'm tired from all the walking and I'm certain I spent more than I should have. Not to mention, I went home empty-handed again. But look who's smiling ear to ear with all his book purchases. My son, Blue can't decide which book to read first. I can't forget how tightly he hugged me when I allowed him to get one more book. He said, "You're the best, Mom!" Well, I guess I have no right to complain.
Too exhausted as I was, I quickly fell asleep that night. I was awakened by Blue snuggling near me. I checked the time, and it was nearly eleven o'clock. The lights were still on and Blue was still reading his new book. I had to remind him that it's way past his bedtime. He promised to close the book as soon as he finished the chapter he was reading. When he woke up the next morning, he quickly reached under his pillow to commence reading. I had to remind him to have breakfast first. Throughout that day, he was too absorbed in his book that it was doubly hard to call him for meals and other routines. As a mom, it irks me that I have to wait and call him several times. But deep inside, I'm giving myself a pat on the back. "Congratulations! You have raised a reader!"
Rewind...Rewind...Blue didn't suddenly wake up one morning wanting to read books. It's a lifetime of exposure to books that molded him to be this way. Here I'll outline our colorful journey into the world of books:
I started reading to him when he was still a baby. We started with picture books where I would just point out pictures for him. We also had animal picture books where Blue learned to mimic animal sounds. Suffice it to say, reading to Blue at that stage really helped his language development. He learned to speak with ease and clarity, not to mention a vocabulary that any mom would be proud of.
We moved into more complicated topics as the years passed. From reading, Blue learned about dinosaurs and wanted to know more about them. This explains our big collection of dinosaur books (both fiction and non-fiction). He just couldn't stop reading about them. During this stage, Blue learned that books are his friends. There's an endless fountain of knowlede that can be sourced from books.
During this time, too, Blue began to notice that mommy was reading books as well. He started asking me about books that I was reading. He would gladly snuggle up and listen to what my books were all about. Sometimes, he would move away and say, "Your books are corny!" Who cares? At least he has learned that books are part of mommy's life, and can very well be a part of his.
When Blue started reading (around 4-5 years old), we shifted into leveled reading books. Blue loved to show off his reading progress. Wow! When he reads, I can't help but cry. Blue flew from books that had 1 sentence per page to those that had short chapters.
By the time Blue was six, I knew that he was hooked on books. He couldn't sleep without reading first. Sometimes he wants to read on his own. Most nights, he would still request that I read for him. This was the hardest part for me. Sometimes, my throat would be hurting so bad from reading his chapter books. Once, I just read him a page from a cookbook just to satisfy his reading routine. (Hahaha! Imagine how much he complained when I did this!)
Blue would be turning 7 before the year ends. Right now, he's into Captain Underpants, Geronimo Stilton and other chapter books. The label says these are for 7 to 10 year olds. I can't help but be proud that my six year old is reading books that are beyond his age.
Too exhausted as I was, I quickly fell asleep that night. I was awakened by Blue snuggling near me. I checked the time, and it was nearly eleven o'clock. The lights were still on and Blue was still reading his new book. I had to remind him that it's way past his bedtime. He promised to close the book as soon as he finished the chapter he was reading. When he woke up the next morning, he quickly reached under his pillow to commence reading. I had to remind him to have breakfast first. Throughout that day, he was too absorbed in his book that it was doubly hard to call him for meals and other routines. As a mom, it irks me that I have to wait and call him several times. But deep inside, I'm giving myself a pat on the back. "Congratulations! You have raised a reader!"
Rewind...Rewind...Blue didn't suddenly wake up one morning wanting to read books. It's a lifetime of exposure to books that molded him to be this way. Here I'll outline our colorful journey into the world of books:
I started reading to him when he was still a baby. We started with picture books where I would just point out pictures for him. We also had animal picture books where Blue learned to mimic animal sounds. Suffice it to say, reading to Blue at that stage really helped his language development. He learned to speak with ease and clarity, not to mention a vocabulary that any mom would be proud of.
We moved into more complicated topics as the years passed. From reading, Blue learned about dinosaurs and wanted to know more about them. This explains our big collection of dinosaur books (both fiction and non-fiction). He just couldn't stop reading about them. During this stage, Blue learned that books are his friends. There's an endless fountain of knowlede that can be sourced from books.
During this time, too, Blue began to notice that mommy was reading books as well. He started asking me about books that I was reading. He would gladly snuggle up and listen to what my books were all about. Sometimes, he would move away and say, "Your books are corny!" Who cares? At least he has learned that books are part of mommy's life, and can very well be a part of his.
When Blue started reading (around 4-5 years old), we shifted into leveled reading books. Blue loved to show off his reading progress. Wow! When he reads, I can't help but cry. Blue flew from books that had 1 sentence per page to those that had short chapters.
By the time Blue was six, I knew that he was hooked on books. He couldn't sleep without reading first. Sometimes he wants to read on his own. Most nights, he would still request that I read for him. This was the hardest part for me. Sometimes, my throat would be hurting so bad from reading his chapter books. Once, I just read him a page from a cookbook just to satisfy his reading routine. (Hahaha! Imagine how much he complained when I did this!)
Blue would be turning 7 before the year ends. Right now, he's into Captain Underpants, Geronimo Stilton and other chapter books. The label says these are for 7 to 10 year olds. I can't help but be proud that my six year old is reading books that are beyond his age.
*****
As you can see, it wasn't an easy task. It's really a COMMITMENT to read to your child on a DAILY basis. You would have to set aside the day's worries and stress; moreso, squeeze out your last ounce of energy for a storytelling session. You would have to learn to invent different voices to animate what you read. You would have to seek divine providence for extra patience when your child says "Read it again!"
But the fun part is you never run out of topics to talk about. There's always a talkathon on inventing different story endings; or a long chat on what-would-you-do-if-this-happened-to-you? You get to spend nights under the covers with a flashlight and a book. (How many people my age can still do that?) And most of all, it's snuggling with your child every night; and getting to hear, "Thanks for the story, Mom. I love you!" over and over again.
And the cherry on top...I have a reader. In this time of PSP, Wii and endless TV, I'm glad that my son can make time for reading in his daily routine. Somehow I feel assured that he would have a lifelong thirst for learning. I can't wait for him to start reading books that I have read myself. But for now, I will just continue to read with him daily. I hope that more parents would start doing this as well. It's a battle we can surely win...with one bedtime story at a time.
But the fun part is you never run out of topics to talk about. There's always a talkathon on inventing different story endings; or a long chat on what-would-you-do-if-this-happened-to-you? You get to spend nights under the covers with a flashlight and a book. (How many people my age can still do that?) And most of all, it's snuggling with your child every night; and getting to hear, "Thanks for the story, Mom. I love you!" over and over again.
And the cherry on top...I have a reader. In this time of PSP, Wii and endless TV, I'm glad that my son can make time for reading in his daily routine. Somehow I feel assured that he would have a lifelong thirst for learning. I can't wait for him to start reading books that I have read myself. But for now, I will just continue to read with him daily. I hope that more parents would start doing this as well. It's a battle we can surely win...with one bedtime story at a time.
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