One of the best moments of the previous year: reading Harry Potter (#5) along side my son during vacation in Miami on top of some very nice pillows. I can honestly say life can not be better than this (they were really nice pillows).

I recently overheard a tired mom saying, “I am just over reading to them, you know? I am just over it.” And I thought, rather haughtily, sure, how could a person say that? Reading to my kids, or with my kids, is honestly the highlight of my day. Without that time we would just have….the day. No wizards on brooms, no secret wardrobes taking you to another world, no funny elephants, or talking pigs, or serious turtles who have to go the hospital because they broke their shell, or dark forests. I think I just really enjoy reading though.

I understand the mother’s sentiment of course, because it does depend on the books–reading Stella the Rainbow Magic fairy series, of which there are more than 150 (gulp), okay, maybe I’m a little tired of those, but reading The Year of Billy Miller (about a second grader who had an accident over the summer and has a dreamy little sister who bothers him sometimes) to my son (who will soon be in second grade and had an accident this summer and has a dreamy little sister who bothers him sometimes) is just unbelievably….perfect.

To keep my enthusiasm up, I take turns picking books with my 4 year old: she picks a book, often of dubious literary quality but one she loves, then I get to read her some of a longer chapter book.

When I started staying home with the kids to write more and see them more, I thought I would be a mom who takes their children out on adventures and makes really complicated crafts. But I’ve found that pretty much all we do is a lot of reading and cooking together, and that’s enough.

Tags:
• reading aloud,
• harry potter,
• happiness