Comments on: It’s the little things that count http://motherforlife.today.com/2009/02/18/its-the-little-things-that-count/ The Good, The Bad, and sometimes even the Ugly of Parenting Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:25:09 +0000 http://www.today.com/version-2.3.1 By: homemom3 http://motherforlife.today.com/2009/02/18/its-the-little-things-that-count/#comment-145 homemom3 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:39:46 +0000 http://motherforlife.today.com/2009/02/18/its-the-little-things-that-count/#comment-145 Thank you for writing this post. I must say my oldest daughter has been asking to read to me and we've really been bonding over the books. She chose to read one of my adult self-help type books, which talks about improving your life. I wasn't sure if it would be too boring for her. But we talk about everything. I think today I'll have my younger daughter sit with me and read me one of her books, just to see if she'd like it. Thank you for writing this post. I must say my oldest daughter has been asking to read to me and we’ve really been bonding over the books. She chose to read one of my adult self-help type books, which talks about improving your life. I wasn’t sure if it would be too boring for her. But we talk about everything. I think today I’ll have my younger daughter sit with me and read me one of her books, just to see if she’d like it.

]]> By: ravyn http://motherforlife.today.com/2009/02/18/its-the-little-things-that-count/#comment-125 ravyn Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:48:31 +0000 http://motherforlife.today.com/2009/02/18/its-the-little-things-that-count/#comment-125 Yeah, I had the same problem with the teachers. Until they saw me read. And listened to me rattle off things that had happened a few pages before on first try. Then they were just surprised. It helped that I'd been raised reading and being read to; my mother has one of the best collections of voices of anyone I know (I think she's got something like ten different accents from the British Isles alone, and you can tell them apart). Though it led to interesting results the one time in middle school--there was a competition between three of the classes, with whichever class read a certain number of pages the fastest getting an ice cream party. (There was a cap on how many pages each of us could contribute to the total, which was probably just as well; I think I earned the ice cream party around the same time the class did.) I think a lot of people lose interest in reading because of how much of a chore the schools turn it into. Particularly these timed reads; the speedreaders get turned off because they run out of book, the ones who just don't have the attention span are too busy seeing if they've read long enough yet.... it's counterproductive. It's really awesome that your children are reading back to you. Keep that up; the world needs more families like that. Yeah, I had the same problem with the teachers. Until they saw me read. And listened to me rattle off things that had happened a few pages before on first try. Then they were just surprised. It helped that I’d been raised reading and being read to; my mother has one of the best collections of voices of anyone I know (I think she’s got something like ten different accents from the British Isles alone, and you can tell them apart).

Though it led to interesting results the one time in middle school–there was a competition between three of the classes, with whichever class read a certain number of pages the fastest getting an ice cream party. (There was a cap on how many pages each of us could contribute to the total, which was probably just as well; I think I earned the ice cream party around the same time the class did.)

I think a lot of people lose interest in reading because of how much of a chore the schools turn it into. Particularly these timed reads; the speedreaders get turned off because they run out of book, the ones who just don’t have the attention span are too busy seeing if they’ve read long enough yet…. it’s counterproductive.

It’s really awesome that your children are reading back to you. Keep that up; the world needs more families like that.

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