Readers are Leaders

My sister in-law always says 'Readers are Leaders" and it's true. Although, I wouldn't call myself much of a leader. I am a reader, I have loved books for as long as I can remember. Picture it, a girl under the blankets with a flashlight because she just had to finish that last chapter. Yup, that was me. Nerdy advanced reading classes. Yup, me again. Devouring 400 hundred page chapter books in fourth grade, guilty. Books transport you to other worlds and lives. That's probably the main reason why I loved books as a kid, it helped me forget the world I was forced to live in at the time and focus on grand adventures and amazing places.
Naturally when I had children, reading was and is important to me. I started reading to Everett when he was 6 weeks old, it was part of our bedtime routine. Did he understand a word of it, no. But experts say it helps language development and form a love of reading. It is true, he does love reading, at least being read to. Hopefully that transfers over to wanting to read when he gets older. When Zooey came along, it was harder to read to her. Second kid syndrome, poor thing. But I had two kids under the age of two, it was tough goings at first. Slowly things got easier as they both got older and she actually brings me books to read to her now and she really has started to love books. Which makes me feel less like a failure that I didn't read to her as much when she was a baby.

When we go shopping and the children want toys I always try and offer books, I will buy books over toys any day. We also go to the library more often now that the kiddos are older, it's gotten a lot easier to manage them. It's fun they have a new rotation of books coming in and its WAY cheaper then buying books all the time. I also buy books at Goodwill they are usually cheap like 99 cents or a couple dollars which is cheaper then buying new, especially when they can be a little rough on books anyways. Readers may not always make leaders (in my case) but it is a whole lot of fun if you let it. There are so many amazing stories that people can come up with, it reminds me that imagination does not die when you become a grown-up. Opening a book or going to an art gallery is proof of that.
Now go get a book, would ya!