why reading matters
There are so, so many reasons why we can and should read to our kids.
But let’s tuck those many reasons into a few overarching categories.
Those are my own categories. Not the be all and end all of philosophical thought on literature. But I think that most of the reasons for why reading as a family is a good idea – a GREAT idea would fit into one of those tidy headings.
I know, I know. I’ve talked about this SO MANY TIMES…but, anyway, worth the revisit, I think.
In my opinion, the category of LOVE is the most important reason we should read to our kids. So let’s start there.
If we are able to keep the WHY of our lives firmly in our sights then love being the foremost reason for reading should be clear.
We want our children to be literate because we want the best for them because we LOVE them.
We want our children to have beautiful and meaning experiences to see hope and purpose and be prepared for the world and what it has to offer them because we LOVE them.
We want our children to gain knowledge and wisdom so that they can make excellent choices in their lives and make a difference in the world however they choose because we LOVE them.
And so. Love is its own category. Love is the end. The WHY. The reason and the purpose. For reading to the children.
And all the things.
I should like to talk about the other categories this week, while I wait patiently for a new grand person. But we must prepare the soil for a discussion on reading. We must prepare with the love so that the other categories can grow.