READING

My first real entry for my blog….  

It is only appropriate that I begin with reading.   

• I want my kids to love to read.   
• I want them to read A LOT.  
• I want them to have leisurely time to read literature they have chosen all on their own.    
• I want them to read literature that I have chosen.   
• I want to read out loud to them.

With the demands that we place on children – long school days, homework, music lessons, sports and other wonderful activities, where do you fit in “leisurely” reading?  Or reading at all?

This is one of the reasons that I am so thrilled to be homeschooling during the middle school years, when reading skills can really accelerate.

Homeschooling my 6^th grade son has certainly given us that time.  He reads an entire book every one to three days.   What began back in 1^st grade with the question of “Is he EVER going to READ?” has now become “Is he ever going to put the book down, turn out the light, and go to sleep?”  

I felt quite a bit of stress during my now 6th grader's early elementary years, when reading skills emerge, because it is difficult not to compare your child to other children.   Now  I am experiencing those same feelings with my kindergartner, who really does not have any desire to read on his own.  He LOVES to be read to, and he loves books – just looking at them on his own - but just doesn’t have the interest in deciphering the words.   And although I feel some pressure, I am not pushing him and I am not going to worry about it.  Am I?

My homeschooled son had some leisurely time at the library today, and when I found him with a stack of at least 20 books, it was a mommy moment of happiness.  He really does love to read!  I said, “Are you going to check out all those books?”  He looked at me with a big grin and said, “Mom, I read one book each day!” 

 

How cool is that?