Sunday, February 26, 2012

A book I can't part with

Now that I don't have any babies or toddlers or preschoolers, I'm sorting through a lot of stuff that I no longer need. I'm passing on clothes and blankets. I'm sorting through toys. I went through my cabinets last week and realized it's been a long time since anyone used sippy cups, so out they went. One job I should do is to purge the bookshelves in the kid's room. My oldest will turn 18 later this year, so it's a collection of 18 years of books from book clubs or that were Christmas gifts or were ordered from school book sales.

I've got a lot of board books in there. Those are designed for toddlers who frantically flip through books taking out pages along the way. My youngest, at age 6, is long past that stage. He can read a book without putting any rips in it. Yes, there are a few board books I just don't think I can part with. Goodnight Moon. Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? I've been reading them to my kids for years. However, I think my very favorite board book is Wynken, Blynken and Nod. It's probably been a year since I've read it, yet I have the entire thing memorized. I still remember picking it up along with about four or five other Golden Books board versions at the Dollar Store for Easter when my oldest was an infant. I'd estimate that it's been read at least 400 times over the years....probably even more. It was my favorite and for many, many bedtimes it was the first one I'd reach for.

Honestly, reading to them at bedtime isn't a nightly routine anymore. The kids are reading on their own. They are reading chapter books, not board books. Reading is often done at the dining room table after school or while sitting on the couch after dinner. I don't read "to" my kids all that much anymore. But I'm thinking I should start up again. It's a pleasant routine, no matter how old they get. Many times they are reading to me at bedtime, but I've slacked off when it comes to reading to them. So, tonight, I think we'll have to allow for some reading time once they are snuggled into their beds. They can read to me and I'll read to them and I won't even need to look at the words.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

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