Every night for as far back as I can remember we’ve had story time with our children. It started when Amy was little, a way to calm her before naps and bedtime and she would often go to sleep surrounded by a few books as well as her favourite cuddly friends. As she grew older the negotiations began about which books to read and how many books to read each night.
We had just found our book reading groove when Ethan arrived, and it didn’t take long before the negotiations now included whose book would be read first. Choosing books is quite a serious business in our home, it can’t be rushed, there should be no suggestions (because then it becomes your book choice and they can pick another), and mommy’s new review books are work so they can be chosen but this renders them my choice too.
The bottom line is that my kids will use anything they can think of to get extra books at story time. It’s not a problem most days (except on those days that have been extra long and I’m really tired), I love that my children enjoy reading as much as they do. The time we spend cuddled up on my bed under a warm blanket reading together is one of the favourite times of my day and something I know we will all cherish long after story time like this comes to an end one day. The shared giggles, the inquisitive looks, the pleading for one more book…
Not too long ago now Amy asked my husband to tell her a story about his childhood. All three of us sat transfixed as he told us funny stories about his two mischievous Fox Terrier dogs named Jock and Scampy that he had when he was growing up in Zimbabwe. The kids absolutely loved hearing about when he was small, and it didn’t take long for it to become a daily tradition to read books and tell stories during our evening story time.
It’s been a fun new adventure for us all, a great way for the two of us to remember the memories of our childhood and share those memories with our children. From family pets to hot air balloon rides, from train trips to boat trips to whether we’ve seen whales and kangaroos, the stories and questions vary quite a bit from night to night. It’s something I’ve really started to look forward to at night (with sometimes a bit of trepidation of what I will be quizzed over!), but we’ve also had to factor this extra story time in to make sure bedtime doesn’t run too late!
Do you have any evening rituals that you enjoy together with your children?
2 Comments
As much as I love bedtime stories, I have to admit my kids will try to pull it out as long as possible to delay bedtime too. I like your idea, I think perhaps once in a while we will substitute with a personal story now as well.
Yes, delay tactics and pleas for ‘one more book’ are quite common with us! Great, I hope you enjoy sharing your own stories with your children too.