He Gets It From His Momma -- The Love of Reading

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On any given day, if you were to listen to a conversation between Aiden and me, you'd hear descriptive words such as, "humongous, hilarious, miniature, amazing," to name a few. And these days, you'd hear 'em coming mostly from Aiden.

Cute, right?

What strikes me the most as I reflect on conversations that I've had with my 3-year-old little man, is that these words are apart of his regular vocabulary. They've become commonplace to him. He has grown to use them on a regular basis.

"I apologize" replaces "I'm sorry."

"Humongous, enormous, gigantic" replaces "big."

"Miniature, teeny tiny" replaces "small." 

"Snooze replaces "sleep." (I think this one is kinda weird, but kinda funny too...).

"Angry, upset" replaces "mad."

"Beautiful" replaces "pretty."

You get the point. I could go on and don't mean to brag, but it amazes me that, at 3-years-old, his vocabulary is broad enough that he can switch things up when he wants to use another word. 

And there's only one way to explain how he learned these new words: Reading. 

And not just reading books, but discussing them too. Why does he look so angry? Look how excited she is! What do you think is going to happen next? What was your favorite part? Why? Why do you think that happened? Is there another way to say that? These are just some of the questions I ask him. 

I have always had a passion for reading. I've written about the before. I've always loved the idea of getting so lost and so caught up in a book -- the storyline, the character's lives, the problems, the solutions, the life lessons. I've always loved the fact that there were so many words ready to change some part of me and help me grow in some way... if I only let it. 

And I always aim to instill my love of literacy in Aiden.

I remember once when I took Aiden along with me to visit my Godmother in her classroom. She was a kindergarten teacher at the time, and the kiddies were thrilled have a baby visitor. Aiden was 16 months at the time, and one of the first things we did was head over to the classroom library, grab a book that was bigger than him, and sat on a chair to "read" it. This delicious Momma couldn't have been prouder. Check him out. Isn't he just too cool for school?!

Despite many of the insecurities I felt as a young mommy, I must have been doing something right. And that "something" began way before Aiden was born. For my baby shower, I remember asking each guest to bring a copy of their favorite children's book in addition to something off of my registry. I wanted to get a head start on building Aiden's library, and hey, books can get expensive.

I was so thrilled by the fabulous books we received! Since then, I've requested books for Aiden's birthday and Christmas gifts. So his library collection keeps on growing. Amaze!

This makes it harder for him to choose just two books to read at bedtime. The kid's even gotten me to extend bedtime by a few minutes just so I can read another book to him. I'm a sucker like that. And he knows it. And I wouldn't have it any other way. 

We read together all. the. time. And not just children's books. Magazines, newspapers, random signs on the subway -- they're all fair game. I love it that I can show him how important reading is by modeling to him that I read just because... Merely for pleasure.

But I love it even more when I see him reading, just because... and merely for pleasure. I love to hear him use the same tone, excitement, and verbalization that I used when I originally read the story to him. I love when he compares something in real life to something in a story we read a few days ago. "Mommy, that's like in my book when [insert appropriate scenario here]." 

Moments like these -- when I catch him reading to his puppy -- warms my heart and lets me feel as though I am succeeding as his Mother.

And moments like these -- when he reads to himself -- makes me oh so proud.

He gets it from his Momma! And you gotta love it. 

What are some things you do at home to help your children achieve?

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