Eclectic Parent

One of the biggest things recommended to promote a love of reading in your children is to let them see you read. Sounds great. I LOVE to read. I’m a back of cereal boxes, fine print at the bottom of ads, anything that stands still long enough reader. Admittedly my reading used to contain larger words and more complex ideas. But somehow amongst three children, stop and start reading, and too long since I’ve had steady sleep, I’ve migrated into lighter fiction (also I’m still resisting fiction lite). My problem is how to let them see me read. The moment my bottom hits the couch, chair or floor, I have people who want to play Uno, need help finding the junction for train tracks, bring me a book, need an apple peeled or need a wipe. So I’m a closet reader. I have to do it after they go to bed or daddy takes them out so I can read for my sanity.

In case anyone in the known universe was unaware, the last Harry Potter book came out last night. I decided to get the pre-order to pick up at midnight.  I was just going to go myself and then a friend said they were taking their daughter to the party at the bookstore. Hadn’t thought of that. We’ve never gone to the parties. But if I take D, who is almost 7 and has read the first book, C is going to feel left out. He hasn’t read them but is very interested. It wouldn’t have been important if we could have said that he could go to the next one. But there wouldn’t be a next one. So we kept going in circles about me going to pick up the book alone, taking D to the party, taking D and C and then back to just me.

Yesterday we found out the party started at 9:30 instead of midnight. Three kids in black cloaks later, all of us went to the book release. We got some looks for having such young kids there (there were amazingly few actually) but I thought it was good for the kids to see people this excited about a book. We played Potter Bingo, got  lighting bolt tattoos, checked out the giant tarantulas and checked out the amazing costumes. At 11 daddy took C and B home; they were all supposed to go while I stayed for the book, but D was adamant that he wanted to stay.

By 1:30 we had the book. He was excited to have stayed up until tomorrow. Tucked him into bed and began to read . . . and read . . . and read. The minute kids started waking and saw me on the couch it was time to fold paper airplanes, play games and feed the kids. So they don’t see me reading. But at least they know I am every chance I get and they got to feel the excitement last night.