One of my fall goals is to slowly clear off some books. This is a painful process for all involved. We do not say good-bye to books easily. But some space is needed. And I have an opportunity to pass the books onto local children who really need inspiration to read.

We take for granted reading in our children. Truly our family joke is that we don’t teach reading we give birth to readers. From the moment they are born the children around me see ME reading. The see ME with a book. They see ME with a newspaper. Then they see Dad with a book, a newspaper, a recipe. Reading. Reading. Reading.

Then we read to them from the time they sat up. We read board books. We gave them books when we travel. We gave them books when we needed 5 minutes peace. We stacked up a pile of picture books and told them to “read” when they stopped taking naps. We read adventures. We read family stories.

The idea that children do not grow up with that kind of reinforcement that reading is necessary AND pleasurable boggles my mind. I can’t imagine how much difference it would make in the US reading scores if parents really, truly immersed children in words from the time they were born by immersing THEMSELVES.

Turn off the TV. Shut off the computer. Put away the video games. Get out a book. Make it a picture book. Read.

Repeat over and over and over.

What’s in our hands: Physics a Memoir (Me), The latest Week Magazine (Hubby), Frost Wolf (Son 10), Origami Yoda (Son 8). Read Aloud: Archimedes and the Door to Science.