Today while in the car, the song “what a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong came on. It brought a tear to my eye, as it always has, since my oldest first learned to read. A book he brought home was an illustrated copy of the song lyrics. He was so proud of himself; he sat his younger brother and I down on the couch and read to us.
When he got to the part, “I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, they’ll learn much more, than I’ll ever know…” I broke down. Neither of them said anything, they both looked out of the corner of their eyes at me, and the oldest continued his reading. It is a moment I will always cherish.
Now many years have passed. Both are competent and avid readers. I’ve been read to on more than one occasion. At times I have to ask my younger son to stop; he’s so keen to share during our family reading time, that it gets distracting! But reading truly is one of the best gifts we can give our children.
I’ve heard it debated frequently these days, about how the amount of TV and computer time is going to affect the next generation. I just got back from a business trip, in which I spent my downtime indulging in something I don’t often do – watching TV. Never mind the content of what I was watching, I did notice one big difference. Usually, I read before bed. It tends to settle me down and relax me, again, never mind the content.
When watching TV though, it did not have a similar effect. Although it was mainly garbage I was watching, I could have gone on and on watching though the night.
My husband has had a blackberry for work for a few years. At a certain point, he stated emailing me, using the texting style slang. I don’t think that’s something he will repeat doing with me, because I was not impressed! “You can take the time for proper grammar with me!” I told him.
Of course, with two young boys, swearing has come up. I’ve told them, it’s not the swearing itself I object to. We all have moments in life that warrant a good expletive. The issue for me, as I’ve told the boys, is that it has become a lazy adjective. There are all kinds of words to express ourselves, it seems sad to limit it to 4 or 5 overused words.
Reading really needs to be promoted in today’s world. Yes, TV, videogames, computers, are all out there and (perhaps sadly), unavoidable. But reading not only is a learning experience for a time and place outside of your own, but is also a great opportunity to improve communication skills in a world where they are going downhill.
Yes, my boys will know more than I will ever know. It’s evident in their computer, TV and technological skills related to the two. But I still love curling up and reading with them. Although no one necessarily reads to anyone anymore, it is still great quality time that you bring anywhere.
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About Kristine Quan
