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Book Ban
I've had it with books. They turn me into a sleep-deprived, cranky mother and wife with dark circles under her eyes. Books! I used to love you. Now, I’m banishing you from my nightstand.
How do you moms do it? How do you read and still tend to all of your other responsibilities? My husband says it is about self-control. I admit it. If I have a good book, I don’t have any control. It may be 1 a.m. and I won’t turn off the light. I’ve found myself reading at the kitchen counter as my kids sit at the table eating their lunch. Or, I’ll sneak in a page or two throughout the day, when, say, I should be folding laundry or just snuggling with my 2-year-old when she wakes up from her nap. That technique of reading one or two pages at a time, I’ve found, ruins the book anyway. I might as well have just read the last page first.
Once, I had the audacity to declare to my then-3-year-year-old son and my then-1-year-old daughter in the middle of the day that it was “Mommy’s reading time” and I was not to be disturbed. It didn’t work. I was instantly interrupted with “I’m thirsty,” and “Snack, snack, please?” I was annoyed, even as I asked myself “What other adult gets to read in the middle of the day?”
I tried to set a rule: Thirty minutes of reading time before bed, but I usually don’t get a chance to even open the book before 11 p.m. and then 30 minutes later I’m at a really good part and 30 minutes after that, I’ve reached a really, really good part and soon enough, it’s early morning instead of late at night and can tell it’s not going to be a good day because I’ve stayed up too late again.
I love a good book and how it transports me to a whole new world. I like learning about new cultures and religions. I like the friends I meet in a book and am sad to lose them when I read the last sentence.
I thought reading would set a good example for my kids, too. Parents who read have children who read. Wasn’t that a public service announcement? But I’m not sure how my reading is helping them if my patience are shot because of my lack of sleep hangovers that linger all day. I’ve decided for now I’ll have to limit my daily book reading to the books I read my kids throughout the day and at night before bed. While I love kids books, I have no trouble at all putting those books down for the night.
Natalie appears every Sunday on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Natalie at her blog, A Day at the Park.
Natalie Gott
Natalie is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Sunday.
Natalie is a stay-at-home mom in Carrboro to castle- and super hero-loving Guillermo, 5, and puzzle- and big brother-adoring Maya, 2. Natalie was a wire service reporter for nine years, but stopped working after Maya was born in 2006. Most mornings you can now find her at the playgrounds chasing her kids, who frequently are wearing superhero capes. Natalie grew up in Iowa and Peoria, Ill. After college, she lived in St. Louis, Baton Rouge, La.,and Austin, Texas. In 2005, she and her husband moved to North Carolina and she proudly sings every word to the "It's Carrboro" rap. Natalie loves politics, reggae and grocery stores and readily admits she wastes too much time reading celebrity gossip, but just can't stop herself.
Comments
I think telling your kids it's mommy's reading time is wonderful! Maybe after a few times, they will understand the respect and awe for your inviolate time. Maybe they will grab their own books and snuggle up next to you, "reading" until they can really read.
I do believe that people who read have children who read. I also remember that for the first 6 months of my daughter's life, I read nothing more taxing than a People magazine. Then I decided that reading was too important to me to let go...so I took a book recommended by a friend and devoured it as she napped off and on throughout a weekend. I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I read it. I felt good that I could have conversations with adults again that started with, "Have you read...?"
I know it's hard to read books in such a disjointed fashion. So, for people in your situation, I recommend books that can be read in bits and pieces. I'm not a short story fan, but I love books that are collections of pieces or vignettes. I could recommend tons, but the authors who immediately come to mind are:
Anne Lamott (read Operating Instructions all you Moms out there)
David Sedaris (laugh out loud, don't read to your kids out loud!!!)
Laurie Notaro
Another solution is to read books that YOU are interested in to your kids. Yup, I know that Guillermo and Maya are probably a little young for their first foray into The Chronicles of Narnia, but they will love the rise and fall of your voice. You will experience the magic of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe anew. And they will start to build that habit of turning to books for entertainment.
OK...I know...I'm a little bit passionate on this subject. Guess I should have it be the topic of one of MY blogs, huh?
Excellent suggestion. I read Dickens and Don Quixote to the boys when they were still in the crib. The entire set of Narnia books (which, at a chapter a night, took a few years!). It was wonderful to read what I wanted to read, and they didn't care what it was as long as I was reading to them. They even remember some of it. I love reading out loud, and we kept it up right into the early teen years.
Thanks for your suggestions. I think I could get away with reading books I like to Maya since she's so young still. I tried reading some chapter books to Guillermo, but his reaction was mixed. The books weren't exactly my first choice, but ones I didn't mind reading, like Charlotte's Web and James and the Giant Peach (my favorite when I was a kid).
Yes, reading made me feel like my brain was working again and that was a wonderful feeling. And, I did love saying "Have you read ...."