Read To Me!

Every chance that Wyatt gets, he has a book in his hand, or is handing one to Justin and I asking us to read to him. After reading Go Dog Go or No David for the tenth time that day, I sometimes wonder don't you just want to sit in front of the TV like a zombie? But luckily, Wyatt is not a TV watcher. Even when it is on, he would much rather read or play. My brothers and I were read to a lot as children and it instilled in me a life long love of reading. I hope that by my reading to Wyatt, he will grow to have that same passion for reading and be able to get lost in a book on any given night instead of watching the prime time lineup. As Wyatt grows and I find myself knee deep in parenthood, I appreciate more the effort that my parents put into raising us. I realize now that to have enthusiasm and creativity when you are doing the same thing time after time because your child loves it, is not always easy. I've realized that the best toys, are not the ones you find on the toy shelf at the store, yet are the couch cushions, or the pots and pans, or the bubbles in the bath tub. I remember many hours of playing from when I was a kid. Yet the times that I enjoyed the most were times without traditional toys. Playing Bear and Wolf with my Dad and brothers, or pillow and blanket. I remember my Mom helping us build forts and playing zoo in them for hours. I remember at night laying in bed and My Dad telling us stories of his adventures camping, or about the pilot who ate the bad hot dog. My memories are not those of sitting and watching cartoons for hours, or spending all day watching movies. They are of the creativity of my parents and are a strong reflection of the effort that they put into being our parents, and not just our care takers. They encouraged us to learn, explore and grow. They laid out a great framework for me to follow as a parent, and no matter how many times as a teen you swear you will never do what your parents did, I hope I turn out to be just like them.