Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Homeschool kid confesses: I don't like books.

My five year old daughter told me the last week that she doesn't like books.  Seriously?  We read at least an hour every day, what with school reading, bedtime reading and in between reading.  Probably more than an hour a day.  I never thought I'd be seeking advice on how to instill a love of reading in MY kid.  I feel like a dentist who just found a cavity in my own child. I sell children's books for crying out loud.

My first instinct:
PANIC

WHAT?  Of COURSE you love books!  Of COURSE you're just saying that because you don't want to hear me read the books I've picked out, right?  Right?

But she told me she doesn't like reading on her own, either.  *sigh*
more panic.
more mayhem.
more self-inflicted pain and suffering.

Then I decided to get to the bottom of the problem.

"Mom, we just have too many books.  And they're boring.  I like books about how to do things, and science books and stuff."

Ah ha.  Panic over.  She's ready for harder books. And it's time to downsize.
We spend a great deal of time in the non-fiction section of our children's library, but I do still pick up picture books now and then for the four year old we watch a few days a week, for our baby, and for the five year old, too.

I was able to explain that reading is a gateway to independent learning.  That when she is able to read on her own she will be free to learn about things that are interesting to her and she can learn them in her own way.  I explained that most of the books we have we are saving until her baby sister is ready for them.  Said five-year-old is truly beyond most of them.

In the meantime, we took a little break.  I didn't push it.  I skipped the library one week *gasp* and played charades one night instead of bedtime stories.  So what.  Go ahead- put me in homeschool jail.

We finished reading "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" today.  We charged through a couple chapters because she wanted to finish it.  She's excited about our library trip, tomorrow.  She's been reading on her own, more.  Maybe she just needed a break and maybe I'm a good mom for stopping to listen. 

Just curious:
How do you handle disturbing revelations like this?  Do you panic, like me, or are you more gracious?