End of a Favorite Thing

I have realized recently that I have come to the time in my family's life when we no longer need to have our picture books upstairs. It is kind of sad because it marks the end of one of my favorite things--reading to my children.

As I sat on my hall floor taking out these old, worn out books, I would think, "This is the book Allison really enjoyed." or "This book I could read to Erik with my eyes closed (because I knew it THAT well!)." Sometimes I would pull out a book and think, "I hated reading this book (because it just wasn't that well written) and Andrew ALWAYS asked me to have it read to him!" Then there were the books that I would think, "Nathan liked it when I read this book with the variety of voices I would create to fit the character of the book." And, of course, I came across the books that everyone loved.

When I came across Arthur's Chicken Pox, I thought about the time Erik, Nathan and Allison got the chicken pox and how the book inspired the way they were treated (because the kids thought they should get to eat lunch on the sofa while watching t.v. and eat ice cream sundaes too!).


King Bidgood's in the Bathtub (one of my personal all time favorite picture books) was a book I hid from Erik for a few weeks because I got SO TIRED of reading it to him all. day. long.

So, down in the basement they went waiting for the day that they might me used in the classroom or even read to my grandchildren.

Those moments reading to my children are priceless. Generally they weren't planned. The kids would just bring me a stack of books and ask me to read.

A true impulse of the moment. Looking back I never regret any one of them.