Book Jumping

There are things that we must do, say, or hear repetitively as mothers that may drive us batty. Hearing "Mommy, I'm huuuunngggry" ten-thousand times a day can really wear on my last frazzled nerve. PLEASE don't get up from the table after eating dinner and ask me for a snack!!!

There are a few phrases, though, that I make it a goal to never groan or sigh towards when I hear them uttered from my children's lips. Obviously, "I love you, Mommy" is at the top of the list. Some others include, "Mommy, I need you", "Will you rub me, Mom?", "I'm scared", "Am I pretty?", and absolutely anything that involves a question about God. Another biggie for me is, "Can you read to me, Mommy?". Such a simple question, yet so often brushed aside by many.

I have been working over the last couple months on making it a priority to drop everything (within reason -- I'm obviously not going to drop the baby or a hot pan!) and oblige my children when they ask me to read to them. This endeavor has been bearing fruits that I never dreamed of: closer bonds, more vivid imaginations, the disappearance of television, and even less arguments between siblings! Corbin, who is my ever-active child, used to be able to sit for maybe 45 seconds at a time to read with me. Now? We've gone as long as 45 MINUTES, and we only stopped because I desperately needed to fix dinner -- he still wanted more! Just like with the food for their stomachs (insert big sigh here), it seems that the more I feed them book food, the more they want!

At a recent MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, we had a wonderful guest speaker who spoke on the topic of reading to children. It was such providential timing, as everything she spoke about was exactly what our little family has been in the process of learning. She mentioned the importance of reading at least 30 minutes per day with your children. We have taken this to heart and I encourage you to do the same. The rewards will far exceed the cost of time and effort, and I have no doubt that you and your children will expand those 30 minutes into hours as we have done in our home!

I want to leave you with a little jewel Abby gave me today:

While sitting and reading this afternoon (I believe we were reading Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey), she touched my arm to stop me mid-sentence and said, "Mommy, do you know what I wish I could do?". I stopped, and said, "What, honey?" She looked at me with such a winsome glimmer in her eyes and said,

"I wish that I could just JUMP right into the pages of this book!".