Anupama Shetty shares how reading with her children is a mutually beneficial experience.
Ever since I became a mother, I wanted to pass on my love of reading to my children. Like many parents, I read to them as babies, continued through the toddler years, and kept going until they reached second grade. By then, I felt confident they were ready to read chapter books on their own.
All I had to do was pick the right books from the library. I was proud that both my kids grew to love reading. They discovered their favorite series and happily disappeared into books day after day. Then one evening, as I lay in bed with my 10-year-old daughter curled up beside me, she turned and said, “Mommy, I miss the times when you used to read books to us.”
I was surprised. She now reads 400-page novels on her own. Why would she want me to read to her? “It’s just nice to hear the story read in your voice,” she said. As a busy mom who doesn’t always get as much time with her kids as I’d like, I saw this as an opportunity. I decided to start reading aloud every night to both my children again. We chose Pippi Longstocking.
Night after night, we followed Pippi through her adventures, laughing, giggling and stopping often for curious questions and side conversations. What I hadn’t expected was how much I started looking forward to that time. The routine became a pause button on our busy days — a small, shared escape from schedules, responsibilities, and the constant planning that fills adult life.