I touched on this briefly in discussing my week without a computer, but it's such a nice part of our boys at their current ages and I think it warrants a bit more. So here goes.
Our older son, who's about to turn four and who I usually refer here to as #1, has always liked books. Right around age one he started bringing over books to me. I'd start reading and he wouldn't sit still, at first. Though I'd get annoyed at that young age, with the extremely short attention span, that stage was over fairly quickly. Soon afterward he wanted as many books as we would read to him, especially at bedtime, and especially if they were about trucks. We quickly had to implement a three book rule at night or else we'd be up there in the process for hours.
Today not much has changed in that respect. #1 would absolutely bring you books all day and all night long if you'd sit and read to him. Most days I read a few books in the morning and a few in the afternoon and he gets a couple at night before bed too. It warms my heart that he enjoys reading so much, but my voice also frequently gets tired depending on how much I do.
But these days it's not just #1 that's into books. #2 has books of his own that he really, really wants read to him and greatly enjoys. I absolutely love how he runs up holding one as high as his little arms will go, then does this adorable turn and backing motion after I take it. To satisfy both of them it's frequently the case that I go back and forth reading their selections. Mostly this is nice, though again my voice gets worn out. The problem can be I'm sometimes reading a book one of the children doesn't want to hear. We have a lot of this, almost daily. #1 might be unhappy that I'm not reading his book first. Or #2 might be unhappy that I'm not reading his book right now. #1 will, in these trying times, pout and make a whiny noise that gets very irksome. But that's better, usually, than #2 throwing his book on the ground and outright screaming at me.
I also really like when I can get the boys to look at books on their own. #1 has been pretty good at this for a while, in particular in the car where we always have a stash. He's been getting better and better at his letters and is now asking what words various sequences of letters spell. #2 has started taking books and looking at them, often lying down on the dogs bed or somewhere else random which always makes me chuckle. He'll sometimes even take a book in the car too, at least if there are pictures of dogs in it.
All I'm trying to do today is record this sweet and fleeting moment. Hopefully this love of books continues for the rest of their lives. As my dad would always say, 'Readers are leaders!'
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