I love to read. I've always loved to read. Someone told me once when I was a new mom and feeling apprehensive about how to relate to such a tiny person, to do things that I enjoyed with them. So I've always read to my kids - every day. I love giving different voices to characters, fluctuating the pitch, speed, or depth of my voice, even doing funny things like making the little dude in "Green Eggs and Ham" sound like he's talking under water on that part when they are under the water.
But.....
Here's one (of I'm sure many)"I'm a bad mom" confessions. Big J is learning to read. I can not stand teaching him to read! I dread it. I have no patience for it. It takes everything I have to keep a pleasant face and not pull out my hair in frustration. It's not Big J's fault. He's a smart kid. I just can't stand the process. I hate sounding out a word, for example, "look," to have him turn around and say, "little?" Or, "what sound does 'th' make? Good! So what's this word?" "Tree?" And then in the back of my mind I have all these child development "experts" shaking their heads and tut-tutting how I'm warping my kid because I can't get through the flashcards without grimacing.
He's already picked up quite a bit, so I know it will pass quickly. There are so many books I read as a kid that I can't wait for him to read. I just hope we both make it that long! If you have any secrets you'd like to pass a long to me, I am all ears.
*Who can tell me why I titled this post the way I did?*
8 comments:
Sei laughs at me whenever I help the kids with ANY kind of homework. I'm horrible! I have no patience at all with teaching math that I totally understand. Why don't they??? I'm bad.
Is W-A-T-E-R from "The Miracle Worker"??
Just don't tell him he's "not really reading it." That he "just has it memorized..." Tee hee.
I wish I had some suggestions...I know that I taught my little sister to read when I was about (my) li'l ~j.'s age. My li'l ~j. has never really enjoy being read to (and now that she can read, she prefers to read by herself), whereas Curly could curl up with a thousand books and then request, "Again." I think it's great that you read to them as much as you do. I don't always have the patience to do so. You are showing them by your example to have a love of reading, and even though it's a temporarily frustrating time, that example will have great results in their lives.
Thank you for the advice from my two loyal readers. ;-) I guess if I told more than 3 people I had blog, then more would read it, huh? And, yes, "water" was the breakthrough word with Helen Keller.
I think I'm going to change Lil J's name again, as to par down on the confusion and not be stealing ~j's moniker. He will again be referred to as 'Jax Jax'.
Ok. No more changes.
As you wish. (But just so you know, I didn't mind.)
What about "The Jax-man"? "The Jax-ster"? "The Jax-ino"?
I'm so glad to know that you are blogging. I personally dont have a blog but I have a few friends that do and I love to read about what is going on with them. I have to say, I'm glad you are a "bad mom" too. Thank goodness Conner and Paige have gotten past the learning to read stage because I almost had a permanent left eye twitch from trying to teach them and not freak out. You are so great. Heidi
W-A-T-E-R. It has a name!
Waaaaaaaaaa...... Helen (aka: Mom)
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