For Reading, For Sons, For Life

by Jennifer Britt

JK Rowling once said, “I think it is the books you read when you are young that stay with you forever.” As a young child, perhaps two years of age, when my mom and I would go to the grocery store she would buy me an apple and a Little Golden Book for special treats.  The Poky Little Puppy was my favorite, and forty years later I can still recall everything about that book. The first chapter book I remember reading was The Call of the Wild by Jack London.  Reading from the perspective of Buck was an experience I will never forget, and that story was permanently branded upon my heart and fanned my love for reading.  I must’ve read a thousand books since then, all genres, anything I can get my hands on. I’ve slipped away to lands near and far from the pages of a book. I’ve learned new customs, spoke different dialects, fell in and out of love with princes, ship captains, and bad boys, delved into a few self-help books, and I keep the Bible at hand at all times, because I love that book more than any other. I’ve cherished these times reading alone, and I never dreamed I could love sharing these experiences with anyone. However, my love for reading grew and became an even more important part of my life when I became a mom and began sharing the adventures, experiences, and characters from books with my sons.

Oh, the reading adventures I have been on and shared with my sons! From the pages of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, we have drifted down the muddy Mississippi River on a make shift raft. We hid out in the cemetery with Huck Finn and watched in fear as ol’ Injun Joe stabbed and killed the doctor. We laughed and laughed when Tom Sawyer bribed and swindled his friend into whitewashing that fence, Tom getting an apple for his cleverness. I would laugh again many times after reading this book while watching my middle son, Toby, blond-haired, cowlick stubbornly sticking up on the right side of his forehead, barefooted (always), and a fishing pole swung over his shoulder, headed down to our own beloved river to fish. 

We’ve also shared many tears together while reading. Our biggest heartbreak came from the pages of Where the Red Fern Grows. We “watched” Billy pray and work hard to earn money to buy his little redbone puppies. We cheered for Billy when ol’ Dan and Little Ann learned to hunt and became the best coon

dogs around. We were on the edge of our seats, scared for Billy and Ol’ Dan and Little Ann when that mountain lion came from out of nowhere and attacked them. Our hearts pounded, and we would glance around at each other to see if everyone was as afraid as we were, hoping and praying they would all be alright. Then we cried, and we cried, and we cried when Ol’ Dan didn’t make it no matter how hard Billy’s mama tried. I had to stop reading and walk out to my front porch, to get some fresh air hoping to stop the violent shaking of my chest as my heart was being torn from my body only to look around and find myself surrounded by my three wonderful boys, all heartbroken as well and wanting to console me, make sure I was okay, and lighten the moment with some teasing about my not being able to read through the cracks in my voice. There’s no one else I would’ve wanted to share that experience with.

             

Together, we have learned valuable life lessons. We learned from a little prince what it means to be responsible with our friendships and that sometimes the heart can see what the eye cannot. And, while reading, I looked around at my own little princes and learned that moments like these were gifts not to be taken for granted. In the pages of Touching Spirit Bear, we learned the damage that anger can do to others and to ourselves if not controlled. We watched helpless as Cole fought to stay alive after the bear attack. We felt his hunger pangs. We winced as he threw up the grasses and worms he tried to eat to sustain himself. We were proud of him when he came to realize the pain he was putting himself through by hanging on to anger. We learned the power of forgiveness, and had several conversations about what it means to forgive someone when they’ve hurt us, how important it is to ask for forgiveness when we hurt others, and that sometimes the people we need to forgive the most is ourselves.

We grow intellectually when we read. Studies and statistics have proven this to be true. I believe we also grow emotionally, spiritually, and, potentially, as a better human through reading. I am a reader, always have been. I am also a mother.  To be able to combine these two loves, my love for reading and my love for my children, has been the greatest blessing of my life.  I have a quote pinned on my Pinterest account that says, “Reading to children even before they can understand words teaches them to associate books with love and affection.” I hope that our reading time together will become a treasured memory for them and enrich their lives as much as it has mine. I hope when they think back on the books we’ve read together, that they also recall the laughter, tears, and lessons we have shared. Mostly, I hope that “our story” becomes a favorite. After all, from the words of Margaret Atwood, “in the end we’ll all become stories.” 

 

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. Moral Disorder. McClelland and Stewart, 2006.