A Frugal Past Time

Posted by: DL on Thursday, April 8th, 2010
The picture of husband, book in hand, surrounded by precious little ones is fresh in my mind.  We had come to spend an evening caring for the children of friends.  The Mamma of these little ones prepared for our visit with piles of books brought home from the library that very day.  Reading to the younger generation is our “signature” and  one of the greatest delights of our lives.

An avid reader, my eyes are always drawn to shelves of book and this night was no exception.  Beautifully bound volumes of a series much read to my own children graced those shelves and a flood of memories showered my thoughts.  Times of sitting close on the couch, cuddled under quilts or perched on bed tops, spending delightful hours of reading to my progeny, came to mind. As my thoughts traveled back to days gone by, I realized that reading truly is one of the most frugal of all past times!

Reading to children is worth any personal sacrifice.  What an investment of time!  At mealtime, in the car, or before bed, are just a few of the many ways husband and I have found to share adventure, pathos, and principle with our children through the reading of good books.

Many hours have been spent in the reading of picture books in our home, but I would also encourage that children should be read “up” to.  Stretch their minds.  If they do not grasp every point or detail, it is okay.  Just having that special time with Mom or Dad, grandparents, siblings or friends, provides many benefits both relationally and intellectually.  A favorite memory of my older children is listening to husband read Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, when they were 5 and 8 years of age! Many a conversation over the years has centered upon that book.  Vocabulary development and  the beautiful rhythms of language are just a few of the advantages to the reading of excellent chapter books. And, if you are not careful, your children might even beat you in Scrabble!

A caution is also in order.  Discernment is so important in what is read.  Our family has sought to hold standards in what we read as much as we do in the other areas of our lives. Young minds, (and older ones too) need to be guarded from much of the trash which I think seeks to masquerade as literature.  My family tends to favor books written in the years of yore.

Cuddle up with a little one or sit close to a 15 year old (like I do) and read!  Delight in this wonderful frugal past time and make memories

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Topics: frugal thinking, misc.

3 Responses to “A Frugal Past Time”

kimc Says:
April 8th, 2010 at 10:08 am

Thank you for the reminder! Our older children love to read, but our pre-readers are sadly neglected during the busier times of life, even in our book-loving family.
This used to be and needs to be a part of our daily routine!

Links | Life In a Shoe Says:
April 10th, 2010 at 6:08 am

[...] A Frugal Past Time – reading to your children, by my real-life friend DL [...]

Rachel Says:
April 10th, 2010 at 2:36 pm

Beautifully written! I’ve posted a link over at my blog.
http://trialanderrorhomeec.blogspot.com/2010/04/good-link.html

 

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