Before I had kids, the one thing I always looked forward to doing with them was reading. In those days, I was teaching English to underprepared college kids, and the one thing they all had in common was that they absolutely detested reading. They hated books and newspapers and magazines and usually even the web. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with reading, and I vowed then and there that if there was one thing I was going to try to pass on to my kids, it was a love of reading.
The good news is that kids are naturally drawn to books, so my kids, like most, adore reading. But I think I love reading with them even more. We have finally gotten our summer reading routine down (two weeks before summer ends,) and I look forward all day to cozying up with the two big girls one by one and reading with them. (I read with Mae throughout the day as one twenty minute session isn’t quite doable with an 18 month old whose one desire is to be free.)
Right now, Magoo and I are reading one of the Nancy Drew Clue Crew books which are the Nancy Drew books for littler kids. Normally, Magoo is a fast reader and we can get through a chapter book in two or three days. This book, however, will probably take us until October because after every.single.sentence she cracks up laughing, falls off the bed, and has to tell a story about whatever happened in that line. Tonight we read for almost half an hour and got through about four pages. That’s fine with me though. Her laughter and our conversation is many times more priceless than the plot line of the story. Usually she insists on reading to me, and that’s nice. After a long day, I can lay back, close my eyes, and listen to her sweet voice.
But it’s Goosie who is actually completely impressing me these days. Magoo started reading about a month younger than Goosie is now, and I just always assumed Goose would read later because her personality is so much different. Magoo used to always ask me what sounds the letters make. If I ask Goosie what the letter P says, she’ll say “P! Magoo, Mommy said pee. Ewwww. Mommy pee!” Yea, I wasn’t expected an early reader there.
But then I introduced her to the Leapfrog letter song a couple of weeks ago, and now she knows most of her consonant and some vowel sounds. On a whim, I grabbed one of our BOB books (those awesome plot driven books that go along the lines of “Matt sat. Sam sat. Matt sat on Sam.) and with some help, she has been able to read them.
This is by far one of my biggest joys. Magoo learned to read in secret. I would try to get her to read to me, but she would only do a word or two with me. I think she was too afraid of getting stuff wrong. She taught herself with a chapter book that she would just read over and over, and all of a sudden, a month later, she knew how to read. I still don’t know how she did it.
But with Goose, every sounded out word is cause for a HUGE celebration. We’ll sound out the word, “Sam,” and then we spend the next five minutes cheering and high fiving and screaming. Right as she’s about to sound out the word, she looks at me out of the corner of her eye, and through dancing eyes, she’ll scream out the word. She needs a lot of help, but now that she has started, I don’t think there’s any going back. She insists on “reading” all of the books to me now. Which hey — once again, it lets me sit back and listen, and I get to hear her little three year old interpretations of the pictures.
I always feel guilty about the amount I read with my kids. If I had it my way, I would read with each of them alone for a minimum of thirty minutes a day. But that’s an hour and a half, and a lot of times, I just can’t find that much time. I figure it’s okay because they all read (at varying levels) for hours a day. But still… I always wish I had more to give.
But then nights like tonight happen. It had been a long day and we had to go grocery shopping after picking TJ up from the train which meant it was a really late dinner. But then I had these gems. And I want to wrap all three of them up and keep them this way forever.
Even though Goosie screams at the top of her lungs the entire time we are in the car because there is a fly we can’t get out.
Even though Magoo’s “why”s are no longer requests for information and are now arguments against my decisions.
Even though Mae spends the entire day trying to climb up on my kitchen table to eat our shamrock plant.
Even though it’s exhausting and all-consuming and sometimes lonely,
Even through all of that, there is glory.
Blessed, holy, gentle glory.