Bedtime Stories

How many stories do you read to the kids before bed? Is it one and then lights out? Two followed by a kiss and a tucking in? Three?

The media seems to think we stick our kids in bed post t.v and leave all that 'educating stuff' to the proper people in the schools, after all, how could we grip the idea of teaching our kids something or perhaps show interest in our children?! Madness!

Well I'm not here to bang on about the evils of the media or how wrong or right they have it, I figured I'd tell you about our nightly passage and maybe that would interest you?

Dinner is nearly always taken as a family in the kitchen around our battered table; peas are complained about, food is pushed around the plate in a disgruntled way, Dot will flail her arms, drinks will be knocked and people will insist on breaking the 'no talking when your mouths full' rule sending yours truly into a short lived frump about table manners and the wrongs of flicking your peas.

Baths follow, people are meant to go and read their 'bath time books' which are geared to each age range and are meant to give the guys something to do while they wait on the conveyor belt before being tipped into the wet stuff. The 'bath book' for Wig (9) is Lord Of The Rings, Roo (12) is reading Dragons Of Summer Flame and Fluff (7) is reading the Piggie and Elephant books. There are nights when the books are replaced by name calling, P.J throwing and general silliness but we have a fairly good system in place.

Anyway, on with the book thing right? Right.

Come sofa time and we generally do at least three to five picture books for the Dot (3), Petal (5) and Fluff while the others lounge around reading and trying to negotiate the use of the t.v for the night (sometimes you just want some time to be an adult and get some peace and quiet you know?). Beds and here, here is what I want to talk to you about; what they keep under their pillows...

Stalking in they slump into their beds and one by one I go around and read to them. Sometimes we are pushed for time or they've had one of those days, but if all is good then pages are expected to be read! *small child scowls*

Fluff flips us his pillow and reveals his current kick; Captain America! Now most of the stuff I have is Ed Brubaker's modern run, that takes in Winter Soldier, The Death Of Captain America, Reborn and onwards. It's quite edgy, tough and complicated in places and he loves it! Now we keep the voices down if possible but its hard to do when you're pretending to be an ego-maniacal Nazi lunatic like the Red Skull!

Petal has a fondness for classic X-Men and so I'm reading her the 'Dark Phoenix Saga', yeah I know, plenty of corsets and mind control but hell, she likes it and is cheering the goodies on! The bugger with this period is the amount of accents in the team! Nightcrawler (German), Banshee (Irish), Moira McTaggart (Scottish), Colossus (Russian), Storm (Kenyan) and all the other X-Men are from Canada and North America. It becomes a real battle when Banshee, Moira and Nightcrawler all start talking to each other I can tell you :-)


Finally we come to Dot; she LOVES Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers!

No, this isn't a seventies thing, this is a modern, recently published title centred on the powered (and not so powered) animals of the Marvel Universe. It's weird and silly and her favourite by far is 'FROG THOR!' I'll let you consider that for a second.

FROG THOR.

I know.

Still, this is a really well written title; funny, silly, well drawn, bright, colourful, full of joy. It's got it all baby!

Now I think my point is that we are smothered in books, words, letters, and that is grand, but that isn't it really. I think my real point is that we value all the platforms of reading, all of it has merit and that merit is equally appreciated. A love of reading and of books doesn't mean that they learn to read classics and worthy books but that they learn to read and that they read because they want to.

It's not seen as a chore, it's fun!

Learn to love reading, learn to love reading what you love to read. Don't let people tell you what you're reading isn't right/good/worthy. Read for joy, love and explore your passions. Your kids will see you reading, learn to understand that reading is fun and something that excites and will fall in love themselves.

FROG THOR (THROG)...  (I know...)

Obviously we need to teach the kids to read but we also need to teach them to love reading and that comes from us.