This post is for the parents and grandparents out there.
And especially for the parents reading this right now.
Yes, that means you.
Because if you're reading this right now, it means you're on your laptop, iPad, phone, or computer. And it means that you're not reading to your kids.
I'm not trying to guilt-trip you. If you've just spent an hour at the park, or playing a game, or reading to your child, and you're taking five minutes for yourself to read my blog, then, all I can say is, "Yay! I feel so honored!!"
But if you've been on your phone or computer for the past hour while your child is watching a video, then according to Meghan Cox Gurdon, you need to rethink your priorities.
Because according to the author of The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction, sitting down with your child and a book MATTERS. Especially at a young age. Through reading books with parents, children develop vocabulary, thinking skills, and social skills. They learn to empathize, observe, and dialogue. And most importantly, they bond with their parents as they slow down, snuggle down, and dive into a story that they can experience together.
Meghan Cox Gurdon's book sites study after study of the benefits of reading aloud to your child. Having an iPad "read aloud" to your child is not the same. A child's brain does not react the same way to a video or audio as it does to a person reading a book. There is NO app, NO computer program, NO technology out there that can replace a live human being.
And the real question is not just "are you reading to your children?" but "what are you doing instead?" Are you talking to your child? Laughing with your child? Teaching him about the world around him? Or are you distracted? Are you (and your child) immersed in the online and electronic world more than the real world? You can choose to read to your child because science and research says you should, but you can choose to read to your child simply because it's a delightful, wonderful thing to do!
I could go on and on, but it's best if you just read Cox Gurdon's book. You can also find interviews with her online.
As for me, I've been trying to read more to my youngest four. I had been diligent about reading aloud with my first four, but in the past few years I've been spending more time, especially in the evenings, trying to "get things done". Now I tell myself, "The dishes can wait." And I go cuddle with the littlest ones to read two or three stories before nap time and bedtime. I've also been spending less time on the computer (and, maybe you've noticed, less time blogging).
