LIVE UNITED Y’All!

I began working in the early childhood field over a decade ago. Six years ago I came to Metro United Way and began my work with Success By 6. Throughout my career I have worked to support parents and caregivers in their roles in the lives of young children. Often times this meant providing “parent tips,” training, and advice to parents and child care providers.

Nearly three years ago, my son Luke was born, and I knew I was going to have to see if I could practice what I had preached. Would I be able to implement all of those “simple strategies” I’d suggested to others? Would I do some of the things that I had advised against? When it came down to it would I live up to my own expectations of what a parent should be?

Anyone who is a parent – or even knows a parent – understands that parenting is no simple job. In fact, it is the most important job that we will ever have, and it is a 24/7 kind of deal. So, there are many things that I was worried about how I would handle in my new role as “mommy.” Honestly, I can remember being extremely nervous about caring for the little umbilical cord stump and cutting his nails. I have no idea why these two things caused me such anxiety. Looking back neither was really a big deal at all, but I did learn that new parents worry about every little thing, and I was no exception – despite my years in the field. In thinking about the “big picture stuff,” I was concerned about healthy eating habits, sleep issues, maintaining a routine, instilling strong family values, and making sure that this little person was loved and nurtured – among others.

Early literacy skills and nurturing through reading have been strong focuses of Success By 6. In the months before Luke was born, I would sit in his nursery and read to my gigantic belly. Certainly, reading to my child everyday would be something I would do. Right? Over two and a half years later, my answer to this question is that we do read together everyday, for the most part, and like so many others it is a big part of our bedtime routine. However, it hasn’t always been quite as easy as I thought, and there are days when it can be more of a chore than a fun, nurturing experience.

For instance, when Luke was about one he was so busy trying to turn the pages himself that we didn’t always get to actually read the books. For an avid reader like myself, this was kind of annoying, despite the fact that it was absolutely age-appropriate. Currently, we are in the phase of reading and re-reading the same books over and over again. I have secretly thought about hiding Elmo’s Big Lift and Look Book so that I can get a break from it. He also has figured out that I think reading is very important. He uses this against me to put off going to sleep. He is certain that he can say, “One more book, Mommy” over and over to keep me in his room for as long as possible before I turn the lights off.

However, as all parents know, the joy that our children bring us far outweighs the fact that parenting is a hard job. There really isn’t anything I enjoy as much as laying in his bed at night curled up under the covers with his favorite books. He loves being read to and he is beginning to love to “read” his books to me. When he “reads” to me the inflection in his voice is modeled after how I read to him. His imitation of me in this particular way provides me with a great sense of pride and accomplishment.

Reading to Luke daily has been a confirmation to me that it is a vitally important component of what our youngest children need. It has shown me that although I am well-versed on this subject that I am always looking for new ways to do it better. And I have found that it is as much about providing that safe, nurturing experience as it is about setting the foundation for learning to read.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to explore other aspects of my personal Success By 6 experiment through these blog posts. I would welcome comments from others about your experiences with young children.

Education early childhood, parenting, reading, Success By 6