I’ve read articles and seen statistics on the positive benefits of reading to your children, but I don’t need a study to remind me of how such benefits made a difference in my life. I grew up in a family that valued reading. My parents were always reading. As a pastor, my father used books as resources when he worked on his sermons. We seldom had much disposable income, but when possible, he purchased books for his office and for his family. He’d get books from friends and from second-hand stores and even at auctions. My parents believed in sharing their love of reading with their children. Early on, we three kids were taught to treat books with respect.
Of course, Dad led daily Bible reading in our home, but he didn’t stop there. He read to us children, both as individuals and all together. After Dad died in 1988 and we’d divided up or given away different items, my brother Paul boxed up what was left. Many of those boxes haven’t been open since then. But with my brother’s passing, his wife and I went through the boxes. In one of the boxes, I found and brought home the book “Diary of an Early America Boy.” A note on the inside cover says that Dad read this book to Paul when my brother was young. (Newer versions of this book are available at Amazon.)
I remember Dad reading books like a volume with both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” to me. That volume fired my imagination and I never tired of having him read that book over and over to me. I snuggled close to Dad as he read. He’d take on personalities of the different characters. I felt so close to my father during those times. Sometimes, as I got older, we’d discuss the books we read together. Reading together gave me a loving bond with my dad as he opened the world for me through the eyes of the characters.
My older sister Karin remembers Dad reading books from the Danny Orlis series to us as we got a little older. These were books, often with mysteries for the main characters to solve. They were books of honesty and faith as well. Little did I know that one day, after we moved to Kearney, I would not only meet the author, Bernard Palmer, who lived in Holdrege NE but also that he’d encourage me in becoming a published author.
When Keith and I had our kids, we continued the tradition by reading to them. We read classics like “The Secret Garden” and the Narnia series as well as the Mandy series of books. The kids and I could hardly wait for the next book in the Mandy series to come out to discover her latest adventure with her friends. We are gratified that our older grandkids are also readers.
Yes, reading with our kids brings families together. Reading together helps families bond, learn and grow together and opens up possibilities. Read for yourself. Read with your kids and read together as a family. Reading really does matter. It sure made a difference for me.
Published by Kearney Hub 8/5/2019 as Reading together builds bonds
By Carolyn R scheidies