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 Sweet on 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!
Thank you Becky Wade for stopping by! Here is my review of
Sweet on You!
During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She’s been a fan of all things romantic ever since.
Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky’s passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She’s delighted to be penning warm, wry, and heartwarming contemporary romances for the Christian market. She’s the Christy and Carol award winning author of
My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.
These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.
