I was reading a blog post recently about the parenting dilemma of one's desire to read (i.e. have computer time) v. give our kid(s) attention. I started thinking about how much time I spend reading, mostly at the computer, though sometimes a physical book. I've decided to not beat myself up too much for all the reading I do while Olivia plays or relaxes with a movie because I remember how much my own mother would read and I do not have negative feelings about this. I remember our house always having such a relaxing vibe with her there reading. She was a total book worm and loved getting lost in books, much the same way that I get lost in my reading as an adult. So maybe I'm getting lost in text on a screen! :-) My mother always had a comfy chair that she'd read in. In my early years, she had this wooden rocking chair where she'd sit, wearing her fuzzy, light-teal, terry-cloth robe. When she relaxed in the rocking chair, the fuzzy cloth of her robe would poke through all holes in the back of the chair. (Think 1970s style furniture...). From behind the rocking chair, each circular hole of teal robe looked like fuzzy buttons, which needed to be pushed by my little fingers. And so I did. I do not remember my mom's reaction, I just remember how tempting the fuzzy buttons were. Either way, this memory of her serves as a reminder that a great parent need not be on the floor playing with her child 24/7 to be a nourishing, wonderful parent. Every parent needs some self time and if that entails reading, your kids will be happier if you are happy and relaxed. At least, that's how I feel about the time she took to read.
Post Script...
After writing down my memory, I decided that the only thing that could make this post more perfect is if I could actually locate a photo of my mom.... in her old rocking chair.... wearing that teal robe. For anyone who knows little about my father: he saves/keeps everything. In fact, virtually every photograph in my family's possession has been digitized. And virtually every book our family has ever purchased has been kept. That would be why my parents' house has an entire "family room" that is wall-to-wall bookshelves. Book collections aside, I went on a mission to hunt down a photo like this and sure enough, my dad had a photo sent back to me via email within 24 hours. I couldn't make out the title of the book, but my dad was able to discern the title, author and the fact that it was clearly a book checked out from the public library since he knows it is not in our collection of books. I've never heard of this author, but I was intrigued.
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| My mom in the 80s, reading Leah and Lazar by Elizabeth Swados. Surely, I was moments away from perching behind her to poke fuzzy buttons. |
