What Reading Means to Me and my Children

Reading meant shared time with my father. Reading meant time allocated to my inner self. Reading means joy. Rereading selected books means reliving my childhood, redrafting the journey of my life, revaluing judgements made, and redesigning the rest of my life. But mostly, reading means shared moments with my children.
Reading has made my children critical. They do not take anything at face value. They always ask first..." So what Amma?" They then go further and ponder.... "What if?" I believe the reason they adore Dr Who (the TV series) is because they are not bound and limited in their ability to imagine and think beyond the box formal schooling has drawn them into. They can watch the current BBC version of Sherlock and appreciate the wit and the characterizations of the protagonists. They are
selective of the movies they watch. They appreciated what was put in the trilogy Lord of the Rings movie yet disagree with the inclusions of characters not in The Hobbit book.
My children grew up with the best of idols, imaginary they may have been, and could relate their experiences with these characters. I did not dictate moral values to them. They know what their
mother expects of them. They introduce books to me now, books I had not had time to discover.
We do not have a TV set in our living room. We have books. The living room is our personal corner...where we cozy up with cups of steaming hot coffee (and tea...) and books. We talk about the characters like we know them personally. Sherlock, Watson, Atticus, Elizabeth, Darcy, and even Hamlet and Iago join in our conversations. It is great company that we keep.
These are treasured times. These are the most precious memories.

The Magic of Storytelling

"If there is one universal thread that binds all people together, it is their need for stories." - Lisa Lipkin

Bedtime storytelling could feel like a chore, but here are three great reasons to do so:
1. It provides your own imagination a workout - more so when you include sensory details, setting, conflict, twists and dialogue.
2. It forces you to turn off your inner editor - please improvise and let the character lead you forward.
3. You have a captive and honest audience.

Ref: Creative Storytelling: Choosing, Inventing, and Sharing Tales for Children by Jack Maguire.