How To Find Time for Reading With Little Ones in the House
By Rebecca Hastings
I
watched my daughter longingly . She was happily snuggled up in the middle of the day with a stack of books . Blanket wrapped , she was blissfully unaware of the real world around her , fully engrossed in the story in front of her .
I was jealous .
As parents , we hear a great deal about the importance of reading for our children . Some programs start your new bundle of joy off with a book right at the hospital and mail a new one each year until they are five . There are library programs challenging kids to read 1,000 books before kindergarten or summer reading programs to encourage kids of all ages to keep their noses in a book . I could list reason after reason why kids need eyes on print . But what about us ?
I tried to read a novel after my second baby was born . I fell asleep by page three every single night . ( Needless to say , I abandoned the book , freeing up nightstand space for a spit-up cloth and nipple cream .) There was far too much to do and reading just wasn ’ t a priority .
But I desperately missed it .
Soon after the abandoned book , I realized reading was important for more than my kids . Reading was important for me , too . Finding ways to make it happen has involved trial and error and a lot of grace .
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