When my firstborn was about 6 months old I had a slight panic attack.
I realized that there was so much I had to teach this kid.
How to eat solid food without choking.
How to use a sippy cup.
How to use a spoon and fork.
How do his business on the toilet.
How to hold a crayon.
How to tie his shoes.
How to read.
That was a huge one for me. Reading. I’ve always been a big reader. I love getting lost in books, picturing the characters in my head and what their voices sounded like (books into movies are always a big disappointment for me).
Literacy was always very important to me. My kids are always asking for stories. We always read books before bed. We have kids books ALL OVER our house. Heck – Eva even has her stack of books she keeps in the bathroom for when she has to poop spend an extended length of time in there.
Cam was an early reader. He was reading chapter books when he started grade 2 and reading is one of his biggest strengths. I love seeing him read in bed, just like I did when I was his age.
One of my fears (on top of hundreds of others) that accompanied the autism diagnosis was that Cuyler wouldn’t be able to learn how to read. I wasn’t sure he would be able to process the letters and turn them into words. And if he could, would he be able to process them verbally?? That was just one of the many MANY things I wanted for him. To be able to read. I just thought his world would open up that much more if he could read. Signs, labels, menus, schoolwork. And books.
Like everything that Cuyler has mastered, he did learn to read and he picked it up fast. One day he was just labelling all the letters in the alphabet. And before we knew it he was reading words.
We’re still working on articulation and enunciation. Comprehension is the big thing and it’s coming – he’s retelling events in the stories he reads and also drawing pictures of the stories he reads.
I absolutely love bedtime reading with my kids, but with Cuyler there’s just a little extra joy I get out of listening to him. Years ago I dreamed about the day where we could cuddle in bed and he’d read to me.
Awww, I love it. We also love reading here.
I love this…I love his enunciation…I just want to eat him.
Oh how lovely, Christine…
Darling beautiful boy! This is too touching. I loved reading to my children so much as well and this brought back fantastic memories! xn