I was thinking about this billboard yesterday as I prepared for our new Monday routine. We have discovered the lovely family pajama time story hour at the library which means we can do our weekly trip to the library, stay for story time and stop to get ice cream as a treat on the way home (SO cold this time of year, but A. is not discouraged). I can't imagine what it would be like to only read 10 mins a day. Most days we have at least half an hour of bedtime stories with other reading mixed in during the day. There is always a negotiation regarding the number of books to read at bed time. My opening bid is 2 books, A. starts by requesting 10. We usually end somewhere in the 4 book range. On Mondays, we end up reading for 1/2 an hour before we go to the library. (We have to get one last read of the books before they go back.) Then a book or two read in the stacks as we search for our goodies, an hour long story time and then 2 books back in bed. (Where it is already past bedtime, so I am admonishing her to pick SHORT books but my love of reading rarely allows me to say No to reading altogether.)
I am glad my daughter has learned to love books. It is telling that I can offer up the threat of losing the right to check books out from the library as a behavior modification technique. In many ways I can't wait until she is old enough to enjoy some of the books I remember so fondly from my childhood. Can anything beat the wonder of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? But I have to remember not to rush this stage, because while it takes a lot of my time, she won't be content to snuggle in my lap as I read to her for too much longer.
10 mins a day seems like so little, and is such a big thing that today I am taking A. to the bookstore to pick out a few of her favorite books to donate to the local battered women and children's shelter. Won't you do the same?
No comments:
Post a Comment