For some time now I have been a little concerned that my beautiful 18 month old son Teddy, who seemed to be developing perfectly in every other way, just didn’t seem to be the least bit interested in books! Every night my two elder boys choose a book each and we read them on the couch. Sam, the eldest, who is 7, also reads his school reader to all of us. Sam is an excellent reader and makes me feel that all the time we have spent reading books to him during his childhood has paid off tenfold (not that it is necessarily any guarantee). Ben is still at kindergarten, so not at the reading stage yet, but definitely has a very strong love for books. However, try as we might, we have not been able to get Teddy to sit still and listen to any more than a page of any story! Suddenly all this has changed though! Teddy now will often be found during the day sitting somewhere quietly flipping the pages of a book and talking quietly to himself – clearly reading a story! He also now crawls up on to my lap very determinedly in order to be a part of the bedtime story routine. He listens and watches intently, completely absorbed in the story, although of course I can’t be sure of just how much he understands. But the most wonderful part is to see just how much pleasure it gives him. This wingbacked chair in its sunny corner is one of Teddy’s favourite spots to sit and read. It’s a great reminder that, when it comes to children, there is no point in trying to rush things- they will reach the next stage when they are good and ready to!
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