Favorite Part of the Day

My teenager tells me his favorite part of the day is when we read The Lord of the Rings together at bedtime. Of course, Tolkien is not part of our normal curriculum. It is simply something we do for fun. We have never ceased our night-time read-aloud routine, even when Poly is fully capable of reading literature on his own and easily possesses a wider speaking vocabulary than I do.

Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing once spoke in a seminar about the importance of reading aloud to children (even older children). There's nothing better than hearing complex, beautiful language constructs spoken out loud in helping your children become naturally eloquent speakers. What you read gets reflected in how you write; what you hear, then, is reflected in how you speak. These days, we often take turns reading. Poly is a wonderful reader, creating different voices and accents for the various characters. His deep voice makes a far more convincing imitation of Gandalf or Gimli than I can ever do. Of course, I don't tell him he's also sharpening his oratory skills while having fun.

Most of all, though, we do it just because it's so enjoyable. Literature is fun. It's a far more active and entertaining pasttime than computer games or TV programs--at least to me. To hear Poly say that this is his favorite part of the day means a lot to me. It tells me we're doing something right.