Saturday, January 3, 2009

Desire for my kids

My kids do not really choose to read. I have to set the timer and force them to read. I wish that this were different. I envy the families who have to pull a book out of their child's hands from time to time. My daughter CAN read well but she chooses not to. My son is getting the hang of reading but he'd prefer to be plugged into XBox. I wonder if this is a genetic thing because I remember NOT reading as a child. I remember playing with Kathy every day, all day long. My brothers on the other hand read, and read and read. We also had NO TV so I don't know what I did with my time when I wasn't playing with Kathy. I remember also, that I plugged into reading at about 4th grade...that is when I became a little more addicted, but not like my brothers. Even today, I can go months without choosing to read, but when I do, I become a little too focused on reading. My husband can attest to my 'all or nothing' approach. Even on our honeymoon in Bali, he had to drag me from my book to go exploring, dinner or what have you. I think he gets a little nervous when he sees me pick up a book because that means I might be 'useless' for a time.

At this very moment my daughter is saying that she is extremely bored even though she has a gazillion new things to play with and a ton of unread books to read.

So, what is a mother to do? I think we might have to have 'reading time' at our house where EVERY single member reads for MORE THAN 20 minutes. However, if I start, I cannot stop. I think I need some moderation training.
My words for Jan 2: Accomplished, me time, laundry, purge, connected, health-focus, sleep

1 comment:

Kimberly said...

Just an idea...my friend had this problem too. She started reading with her daughter, she did a chapter, then her daughter did a chapter. They started to really enjoy this time together and continued it into the high school years. Now she is in college and her mom misses this time so much. Thought I would share it with you.
Kim