Raising A Book Lover

In May-June 2007 issue of MomsToday (a parenting magazine in the Philippines), they featured the "10 tips to raise young readers". This article caught my attention because we certainly are raising a "book lover". According to Michelle Gan, "reading is the first skill required to understand and apply concepts, both at work and in life". We are glad that we did not have any difficulty instilling this skill with our son even at a very young age. He’s still a tot but he's someone who would rather trade toys for books. I’ve already proven this a number of times. We don’t have to drag him to go to a bookstore instead of a toyshop. Hence, it was such a treat for him when we went to the newly opened Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street. As expected, he did not go out of the store empty handed. Some friends are asking me how we honed him as such. I think primarily because we started as early as possible. From the moment I felt him growing inside my tummy, we are already journeying together through books. I read something to him as often as I can and it’s not limited to story books and rhymes alone. Even books that I’m reading for work, I communicate my learnings with him. There’s this mother's instinct that told me he would understand in some way. Probably, this is why sometimes we heard people saying nobody is too young to understand. For me what mattered more is that we’re already communicating, establishing our connections even before I helped him see the real world.

Apart from that, leading a good example greatly helps. Apparently, book is one of the many things that connected me and my husband together. We share the same passion for it. Also, we make sure that we visit a bookstore whenever we go to the mall. It’s but an indispensable part of our weekend itinerary. Likewise, books topped the list of our rewards to our kids. It’s a gift waiting at the end of a good behaviour or any milestone. There are actually many ways of molding a lifelong book lover. What's fundamental is to find that, which will rightly fit the parents' objectives as well as the kid's needs and interests. It's but essential to tailor fit.