My daughter April loved to read. She would read books over and over again and she would draw pictures from them and create pictures of her own using the books for inspiration.
My son Jim likes to read. You notice I didn't say loves right? I'm pretty sure he just likes reading. If it's a book he's interested in he might scan it, read some of the good parts and then he's done. He's not one to just read for the sheer joy of it.
When he was a little boy, I would buy tons of books for him also in hopes that he, like his sister would love them, read them and let them inspire him to be creative. Well, in a way they did, but not in the same way they inspired his sister.
I will always have a picture in my mind of my son and his special use for books. He used them as building blocks and roads and skyscrapers and houses. I will always have a picture in my head of sitting in my chair reading or watching TV and seeing that little guy go to his room and get his mountains of books and setting them up all over the living room floor and using them with his little Matchbox cars and his Teenage Ninja Turtles and his Power Rangers. I never saw him read them, but he did put them to good use!
He had such good imagination that he could sit there for hours playing. A child's imagination is something miraculous!
I remember sitting there and trying to imprint that image in my head because I knew that one day he would be an adult and that image was what I wanted to cherish about that little boy...and I did. I can see it clearly in my head, just as if it was occurring right this minute.
This post was inspired by "The Costume Trunk." I received a complimentary copy as a member of the online book club From Left to Write. All opinions expressed are my own. You can read other posts inspired by "The Costume Trunk" at From Left to Write on book club day Thursday July 28th.
The gift of loving to read is one of the best things we can give our children. I remember one long-ago afternoon when I realized that the children and I were all sitting by the pool reading - I was so happy!
ReplyDeleteBy giving him access to all the books, you've created a love of books for him. He's thinking outside the box by creating skyscrapers out of them. Very creative!
ReplyDeleteI like your boy's use of the books you gave him. It displays his aptitude for construction, architecture, design. Perhaps as a grown-up he's in one of these fields.
ReplyDeleteI love that books can be used as art inspiration AND building blocks!
ReplyDeleteI love to read. I read to my children a lot when they were smaller. My adult son has always read a lot. My adult daughter has read more since she was married 5 years ago. Her husband is a big reader. Now my granddaughter who is 3 1/2 reads all the time. I can't catch the words, but she's very intent about what she's doing.
ReplyDeletePondside - That is so great, that you realized by the pool that you were all reading. That's a great memory you will have forever!
ReplyDeleteKim - He definitely had quite the imagination while he was playing with the books. I guess that's just as important as him actually reading the books :-)
ReplyDeleteDUTA - You would think maybe he would have an aptitude for something like that, but unfortunately he's just as mechanically challenged as I am. Between the two of us we have difficulties changing a light bulb :-)
ReplyDeleteJoy Weese Moll - Book are amazingly adaptible aren't they?
ReplyDeleteGrammy Goodwill - You've set a great example for many generations to come! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post. Imagination is a true gift and it's so nice that your son was able to explore his. So many kids these days don't know how to use their imagination.
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