How to Raise a Reader

I've always loved to read. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother taking me to the public library in our small town. It was like the bar in Cheers - everyone knew our names. Grandma always had the latest books on her waiting list - those hot books could only be checked out for a week at a time, while the others could be kept for two.


I would browse my sections of the library - first the little kid section, then I graduated to the chapter books. We'd check out our stacks of books and head back out into the heat before arriving home to read our books in the cool comfort of her air conditioned home.


My love of reading continued throughout my life, peaking when I was pregnant with each of my children. The luxury of relaxing in my glider, feeling my babies kick while consuming a wide range of novels, was a magical time in my life.

But after the kids were born, my reading shifted to Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You and God Gave Us You. We read to the babies from the time they were very young. We had (still have) books in many rooms throughout the house - short bookshelves in their rooms, baskets of books in the living room, books in the diaper bag and car, books always within in reach.


Then I returned to work, first freelancing, then part-time and eventually full-time. The kids could now read their own books and had even advanced to large chapter books, which they read in record time. During my adult life, my own reading had first given way to picture books with the kids, and then to business books and magazines like The Big Idea, The Personal MBA, BusinessWeek and so on.


Reading for pleasure just seemed like too much of a luxury as a mom with 2 businesses, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 husband and a never-ending To Do list. But this summer, I've gradually started to allow myself this luxury again. I love getting lost in a book, reading until my eyes can't stay open any more. Whether reading on the iPad or flipping the pages of a traditional book, the words of a good writer pull me in to places I've never been.


Now as the summer continues to heat up and the kids are out of school, I'm doing one more thing to reinforce their love of reading. I'm letting myself read for fun, too. Yesterday was a blistering hot day so we headed to the library (at their request). We each came out with a stack of books and they opened their books the minute we got to the car. We had such a wonderful quiet evening last night while all of us read together, in our own worlds – yet very much together.

Movies, Games and Books – What's appropriate?

When your kids are clamoring to see the latest movie, do you automatically agree or do you conduct research to determine if it's age-appropriate? Who/where do you turn to find out if the movie (or video game or book) matches up with your values?


I've noticed that more parents are giving unintended reviews in their Facebook posts as they say things like, "Funny movie, but lots of potty humor". I've also found a great resource for family friendly reviews. Visit CommonSense Media to learn more. You can also sign up to receive periodic emails from this site which rates various media based on Educational Value, Positive Messages, Sexy Stuff, Consumerism, etc.


As parents, it's up to us to make sure our children are being fed appropriate information that fits with our own family's values. Let me know who helps you make choices.