Return Of Investments

Laila just 'read' a whole book last night.

It was one of her favorites--The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss--and she read it from cover to cover, from the title to the 'The End'.

'Left foot, right foot, left foot, rght...Feet in the morning, feet at night...left foot right foot left foot right...' It was amazing!

I suppose she was relying on the pictures to 'read' the book, but what she 'read' really was what was written for the particular page. She memorized the entire thing. And she was also underlining the words with her fingers the way I do while I read to her.

I had to force myself to wait for Laila to finish before I praised her for reading so well. And when I did--complete with the customary clapping and kisses--Laila put her right hand to her stomach and bowed repeatedly all the while grinning like she did something naughty.

See, I have a genius and a comedian in one daughter! She likes books and she has a sense of humor.

This isn't the first time I've noticed that Laila really is interested when I read to her. She's also practically memorized 'Put Me In The Zoo' by Robert Lopshire--who, for Laila, is still Dr. Seuss. I'd read to her and deliberately stop before the last word so she can fill it in for me. She gets it right every time.

I'd be saying 'I want to go to the zoo, I want to see it yees I...' and Laila would pipe in 'do'.

Then I'd continue to the next page. 'I would like to live this way. This is where I want to...' and she'd say 'stay'. And on and on until the last page. She knows it. When I miss a page, either accidentally or because I want to hurry things along, she'd point it out to me and insist we read the page we missed.

I feel that all the previous nights I spent reading to her are beginning to pay off. She's beginning a love affair with books!

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There are people who don't value reading as much as others. I don't want Laila to love reading for the sake of reading or so people will admire her for loving to read so much.

I want her to read because there are so many things I cannot teach her and there are so many places I can't take her to. Books would be her ticket to those bits of knowledge and to places I have no access to.

My parents never had the patience to take me anywhere when I was little. But I traveled a lot on my own through the books I read. I want Laila to enjoy these same 'adventures'.