This week’s blog was written by Christine Abela, the adult educator in Fort Liard.
Our family doesn’t follow many house rules. It’s OK if boots stay on to run in and grab forgotten keys; it’s OK if a jacket hangs over the back of a chair; it’s even OK if the dog is on the couch.
The one house rule we do follow is stop, drop and read. My partner named our one house rule when he found me reading with our son on the kitchen floor in front of a sink full of suds and dirty dishes. The rule is, when our son asks us to read to him, we do. It’s that simple.
In May my son will be two, and he loves books. My partner and I read to him as a newborn. Before his eyes could clearly focus or distinguish images and colour, we read to him. I remember the magical moment at three or four months of age when his face lit up with recognition the first time he could see what was on the pages.
Sometimes he uses books as tunnels for trains, for standing on, or even for chewing on. That’s fine because he is still holding, playing with, and being close to books. At almost two, books are mostly for reading now, and he brings books to me often. No matter what I am doing, I stop and read to him.
In the middle of making dinner or the million other things I have to take care of in a day, stopping to read is sometimes inconvenient; looking at the bigger picture stopping to read is far more important. These are precious moments to bond with him and help develop his big, beautiful brain.
Therefore, the one house rule that sticks for our family is stop, drop and read.
-- Christine Abela
