CCBC-Net Archives
Read Alouds
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Karleen Bradford <karleen.bradford>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:11:38 -0400
All three of my kids were dyslexic so I read to them for far longer than most parents read to their kids. Our read-aloud times were special and times when they could get lost in literature without stress. The two older ones were 7 and 5 years older than the third, so when Chris came along I started all over with books I'd already read to the other two. I will never forget two large almost teenagers curled up on the bottom of their kid brother's bed and all of us in tears at the end of Charlotte's Web.
Our kids were normal in all other ways and we went through our share of worries and episodes during the teenage years, but never was there any communication gap, and never did any of them ever not like to come on holidays with us. If the holidays involved long car trips, I read to them, even when they were older. The Best/Worst Christmas pageant--which I read when they were all teenagers--had us all laughing so much I thought my husband was going to have to pull over. The three kids--now grownups--also developed a really strong bond with each other that still holds. Obviously other factors involved as well, but those nights with all of us curled up on the same bed laughing or crying or talking about what we were reading must have helped.
As an added bonus. All three have worked through the dsylexia problems and have good careers, although the eldest still can't spell his way out of a paper bag. He's an engineer though--works mostly in numbers.
And they all read constantly to their kids. Many of the very same books that I read to them, as I kept them all. What a joy seeing my 6 foot 6 son sitting on the floor with his 5 year old daughter on his lap, reading Fly High, Fly Low, his favourite when he was her age. The book was over 20 years old and barely held together with scotch tape because it had been read so much.
Cheers,
Karleen Karleen Bradford karleen.bradford at sympatico.ca www.karleenbradford.com
Received on Fri 27 Aug 2004 10:11:38 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:11:38 -0400
All three of my kids were dyslexic so I read to them for far longer than most parents read to their kids. Our read-aloud times were special and times when they could get lost in literature without stress. The two older ones were 7 and 5 years older than the third, so when Chris came along I started all over with books I'd already read to the other two. I will never forget two large almost teenagers curled up on the bottom of their kid brother's bed and all of us in tears at the end of Charlotte's Web.
Our kids were normal in all other ways and we went through our share of worries and episodes during the teenage years, but never was there any communication gap, and never did any of them ever not like to come on holidays with us. If the holidays involved long car trips, I read to them, even when they were older. The Best/Worst Christmas pageant--which I read when they were all teenagers--had us all laughing so much I thought my husband was going to have to pull over. The three kids--now grownups--also developed a really strong bond with each other that still holds. Obviously other factors involved as well, but those nights with all of us curled up on the same bed laughing or crying or talking about what we were reading must have helped.
As an added bonus. All three have worked through the dsylexia problems and have good careers, although the eldest still can't spell his way out of a paper bag. He's an engineer though--works mostly in numbers.
And they all read constantly to their kids. Many of the very same books that I read to them, as I kept them all. What a joy seeing my 6 foot 6 son sitting on the floor with his 5 year old daughter on his lap, reading Fly High, Fly Low, his favourite when he was her age. The book was over 20 years old and barely held together with scotch tape because it had been read so much.
Cheers,
Karleen Karleen Bradford karleen.bradford at sympatico.ca www.karleenbradford.com
Received on Fri 27 Aug 2004 10:11:38 AM CDT