Struggling through with joy... |
kind of.
Struggling through with joy... |
I taught for 13 years before I became a parent. Although I tried to be sparing in my advice, I did advise parents, often because they asked. One thing I always told them was to let their children read what they want at home. Don’t try to make them read chapter books too early, I said. Let them read Captain Underpants and comic books. Home reading should be for fun and relaxing.
Becoming a parent humbled me in teaching and in life. I’ve never thought I had it all figured out, but having kids revealed just how challenging and individual small humans are. Thankfully, my son is well-behaved and sweet and likes school most of the time. I feel so lucky to be his mom, which is something moms say but I really do. It’s a joy to watch him learn and grow. Sometime between kindergarten and first grade reading clicked for him. In spite of the pandemic shutdowns and an entire quarter of online kindergarten, he became a reader. We worked with him, of course, to learn the nuts and bolts of reading, including lessons with his retired-teacher grandmother. I heeded my own advice and only did it when he seemed interested. Because I’m a teacher and his father is a librarian, books are in abundant supply in our house, and we read to our kids all the time. His grandparents read to he and his sister all the time. They love books because of this. On a recent trip to the library, however, I found myself doing what so many parents do: pushing him to be the reader I thought he should be. T. immediately found a LEGO book, then a Star Wars graphic novel. He draped himself on a kid-sized couch and started reading, oblivious to the world around him. “Don’t you want a chapter book?” I asked. He ignored me. I darted around the shelves of the children’s section, choosing a book or two of my favorite authors and selecting some I thought might appeal to him. “What about one of these?” I asked, putting the small pile next to him. “Uh-huh,” he said, not looking up from his Star Wars comic. I thought teacher thoughts. He’s ready for chapter books, I thought. How can I teach him to hold on to text when he just keeps reading graphic novels and LEGO how-to books? Then I thought: Oh. My. Goodness. I’m turning into an a-hole parent. Putting my agenda on him. He glanced at the pile to please me. “I’m just not interested in these right now, Mommy,” he said politely. Then he went to the computer and searched for LEGO Ninjago books. And guess what? He read all weekend. He read his books, then the picture books his sister chose, and the Sunday comics. He read so much that we had to take his books away until he agreed to get dressed and brush his teeth. He loves to read, and that is all I want for him. Reading is a refuge and a comfort for me, and I want it to be the same for he and his sister. It will be, if only I can take my own advice.
2 Comments
It's so hard when you know they can do something more if they would only try. I have four in my third grade class that still want to read only graphic novels that are below their level. It's killing me! I want to move them on and they have no interest in my agenda.
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