Guest Post: 7 Ways to Raise Kids Who Love Books by Becky Wade

I was thrilled  when one of my favorite authors, Becky Wade, agreed to write a post for Ohio Homeschool.  I love her books and  just finished her newest book True to You!   Today she is sharing how her mom influenced her love of reading in honor of Mother's Day.  Please give a warm welcome to Becky Wade.

 7 Ways to Raise Kids Who Love Books by Becky Wade

 

Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."  If you were fortunate enough to have been raised by a wonderful mother, as I was, then you know how true that statement is!  It would be impossible to define or explain all the ways that my own "angel mother" influenced me, so I've decided to pinpoint just one in this post.

            My mom instilled a love of reading in me. 

            As a girl, I was an avid reader.  Later, after I married, my deep enjoyment of reading led me to become an author.

            So how did my mom do it?  How did she raise all three of her daughters to love books?  Here's how:

            1.  Before I could read, she read aloud to me.  Daily, she took the time to read.  And not just board books or picture books.  She began reading chapter books to me when I was small.  Those detailed stories filled my fledgling imagination with adventure, times long past, love, danger, honor.  I determined at a very, very young age that books were the best form of entertainment.

            2.  Even after I could read, she continued to read to me at bedtime.  Reading was a treat, a reward, a quiet time just for the two of us. "I'm going to have to take away a chapter at bedtime," may have been a punishment in our house but, "Go read for 20 minutes!" never was.

            3.  She took me to the library.  At every other stop on our list of errands (the grocery store, the department store, the post office) she'd say no to the million things I asked for.  But at the library, her answer was always an unqualified, "Yes."  I'd leave with a stack of books and a big grin.

            4.  I had plenty of unscheduled, electronics-free time in my day.  Hours of it.  If I told mom I was bored, she'd supply a few ideas.  "You can make paper dolls."  "Go knock on Allison's door and ask if she's free to play."  "Read."  Then she'd go about her business and let me figure out my own solutions.  I read.  A lot.

            5. My travel accessory was a book.  Whenever we took a road trip or a plane trip, my book was my entertainment device.  After all, books are portable, inexpensive, difficult to break, and don't need to be charged. 

            6.  She shared her books with me.  Starting in my late middle school years, when my reading tastes caught up with my mom's, she began passing the books she'd finished to me.  To this day, we talk about books and authors!  When I visit her house, I take a few of her recommendations home with me.  And vise versa when she visits me.

            7.  She modeled reading for pleasure.  My mom has always read for her own enjoyment.  Stop by her house on any ordinary week night and you'll find my dad watching sports.  You'll find my mom sitting on the end of the sofa near the lamp, reading.  It's easy for us moms to let our busy schedules squeeze our hobbies out of our lives.  But my mom protected her reading time.  And her daughters are the better for it.

Did your mom instill a love of reading in you?  Happy Mother's Day, moms!

True to You

Thank you Becky Wade for stopping by!  Becky has  a contest for her new book.    You may enter here. 

 Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas.  She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children.  When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.  She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance!  She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series. 

Connect with Becky through her web site and social media. www.beckywade.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorbeckywade

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Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5298259.Becky_Wade

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Blog: http://inspiredbylifeandfiction.com/blog/