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Challenge: Reading Together

Book Love : It's a Family Affair

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Book worms. Both of my kids are total book worms. The park and the book store or library is their most requested place to go. I'm not complaining! When I became a mom one of the first things I learned was to talk, read and sing to my kids. It was interesting at first. They were tiny babies and couldn't really interact much me. It's hard to know if they're "getting it". I got a surprise when my son mentioned something one day that I'd only said to him as a baby. It reminded me that even though it doesn't seem like they're "getting it" - they are.

I'm seeing now how those things pay off. If they get quiet in their rooms, I usually don't worry that they're up to something. What they're probably up to is reading books. Recently, I was in the kitchen and checked on them in the living room. I peeked in and saw my son reading a story to my daughter.

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They get their love of reading honestly. When I was little, my cousins and I spent a ton of time at the library. We were there for all of their activities and events. We'd check out the same Shel Silverstein books over and over. The library was one of our favorite past times. We were at the point where the librarian (Ms. Brown) knew us by name.

I was raised by a reader. My mother tore through book after book on a regular basis. She read romantic novels, mystery, thriller and spiritual books nonstop. She also constantly read the newspaper. I grew up always seeing her reading something. She started me on the path to reading as a little girl. I had books being delivered for me weekly to encourage me to read. I looked forward to that box that came in the mail with new books for me to dive into. Many of those books, have now been passed on to my own children. It's awesome to see them enjoying the books I loved as a child. Like mama, like babies.

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I know what reading has given me and I love sharing that with my kids. Books have the ability to transport you somewhere else. It's easy get lost in a book and feel like you're a part of that story. There's something to be said for the ability of books to open you up to a whole new world. As a kid, I didn't realize that my words would take me places - literally. I'm looking forward to seeing where my kids love of words takes them.

Do you have some favorites to read with your kids?

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