A Look at Literacy

I've always wanted a reader, a child who carried a book everywhere. Once Grace began to read I thought she would love reading so much that she would be reading all the time. Boy, was I wrong. She is only 8, so maybe I'm jumping the gun on this, but honestly she doesn't enjoy reading (unless it's the calendar to see what's on the agenda for the day) as much as I thought she would. I've always enjoyed reading and we read as a family a lot, so I just thought that it would carry through to our children. She does love the idea of reading. She checks out piles of chapter books from the library with plans to read them all and then reality sets in and after three weeks she's read 2 chapters from only one book. I encourage her to read in bed at night and after a couple of pages she turns out the light. I don't know why I worry about this issue so much. She has so many other interests. She stays focused when she practices her violin daily and is excelling at that. She is very kinesthetic; she's had 3 sessions of swim lessons spread out over her eight years and has become an avid swimmer and now learned to dive this summer just by watching her friend. She dances with perfect rhythm and has lots of unique moves. She has very good control of her body; she rollerblades, bikes, scooters and ice skates all with excellent skill (and without lessons). She is very intuitive to the needs of others and is always the first to help out when trying to get out the door on time or when it's meal time. She is thoughtful and always writes Thank You notes and possesses excellent speaking skills, especially on the telephone. She is an entrepreneur, always looking for ways to earn money. She once wrote up flyers to hang on our rural neighbors' doors letting them know she had eggs to sell. Most recently she called some of those same neighbors asking if they had any odd jobs she could do. She is a lovely child (whom I would miss dearly if she got her way and went to a week long resident camp) and after reading this post I realize that reading consistently would not make her any better than she is already. My prayer for today: Dear Lord, thank you for entrusting me with 4 beautiful and talented children. Help me to mother my children in the best way for each of them. Lord, I ask that you give my children opportunities to develop the skills that you know they will need to carry out their vocation. Amen.