Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Dusting off an old favorite like
Canvas Falcons by Stephen Longstreet about WWI aviators. Or, an Edmund Morris tome on some powerful figure in history. Or passages from Shelby Foote's Civil War narrative history vols. 1 and 2. Looking at this list I guess I read a lot of biographies and histories. History is a comfort to me and I guess I enjoy the company of that genre's characters.
However, my children have decided I do not read enough fiction. My oldest thinks it's an abomination I have not read
Harry Potter. So she proceeded to read them to me. Wonderful, delightful, funny, engaging, my daughter is. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of each character, and narrates the story with flare. Of course J.K. Rowling has done a nice job writing as well. The point is my daughter and I have spent hours together laughing and screaming and just enjoying good company with a book, even a book I would probably never pick up on my own. By the way we are on book seven, don't spoil the ending!
I've noticed too that just as my children's personalities are different their taste in stories are different as well. My youngest is not very into
H.P. short of watching the movies. That's not to say she doesn't read she does a lot. She reads more than I do and remembers the storylines better than I do too. Currently we are reading
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan. It happens to be her favorite book. And yes, We've read the
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. If you don't know what to read with your child start with Jeff Kinney. He's fun and offbeat and short, so he'll leave you wanting more. Especially if your kid reads it to you.
So, there you go, a snapshot of parent child one-on-one relationship building made easy. I'm not saying throw the T.V. out or post your video games on eBay. I'm just saying a good book with the kids is time well spent too.
However, my children have decided I do not read enough fiction. My oldest thinks it's an abomination I have not read Harry Potter. So she proceeded to read them to me. Wonderful, delightful, funny, engaging, my daughter is. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of each character, and narrates the story with flare. Of course J.K. Rowling has done a nice job writing as well. The point is my daughter and I have spent hours together laughing and screaming and just enjoying good company with a book, even a book I would probably never pick up on my own. By the way we are on book seven, don't spoil the ending!
I've noticed too that just as my children's personalities are different their taste in stories are different as well. My youngest is not very into H.P. short of watching the movies. That's not to say she doesn't read she does a lot. She reads more than I do and remembers the storylines better than I do too. Currently we are reading Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan. It happens to be her favorite book. And yes, We've read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. If you don't know what to read with your child start with Jeff Kinney. He's fun and offbeat and short, so he'll leave you wanting more. Especially if your kid reads it to you.
