Reading with my Children

For Relief Society this week I was asked to share some thoughts about reading with my children. In summary here are the 3 reasons I shared.

1. Reading together enhances and builds a relationship because it initiates conversation. From the time my kids were infants we've read books together and it always gives us something to talk about. I want my kids talking to me - it doesn't always matter what we talk about, I just want to establish open lines of communication. I remember after reading Walk Two Moons (Creech), one child said it was the saddest book he had ever read. We still have sayings that come from that book, that we say in our home. I'm glad we've talked about sad things - I hope that in the future when sad things come into his life, he'll be able to talk to me about them. Last summer, I read The Circuit (Jimenez), and then had all my family members that could, read it as well. However, I had one who child who refused to read it. When he returned to school in the fall, he found that he could earn extra points by reading this book, so he did and once he was finished I asked him about it. He said, "I don't discuss books". Ouch that hurt me. So I thought about it all day and decided that I really wanted this boy to talk to me and so I went to his room and picked up two of the books that he enjoys and read them. I found that he would talk about books - as long as we were talking about gadgets, scientific experiments, and flying children who conquered evil adults. I'm just glad to get him talking to me.

2. Books help me teach values, help us understand human nature and they make us more aware of the world. David O. McKay is said to have arisen in the early hours of the morning to read classic literature. He called those authors the "minor prophets". I think it is because these authors write about things that are true for all mankind. The feelings, emotions, problems, hardships and joys we experience in mortality are the same for humans everywhere. I love that Scott just finished reading East of Eden for the second time. I love that he comes to me and shares a paragraph and says, "Mom, this is so true". While I don't believe John Steinbeck has all the gospel truth, I do think that by reading this book, Scott has a better understanding of the story of Cain and Abel, and of human nature. In 4th grade Doug did a unit on the Japanese internment. I read every book on the topic that I could find to him. This week in the newspaper there was a picture of some elderly Japanese members of our community who were actually in an interment camp. The picture caught his eye and he read the whole article. Books make history and values personal and come alive.

3. Finally, I read to my children because I want them to hear how words are put together in a way that moves the heart. I want them to read good descriptions. I want them to learn from the experts. Great books can do all that.