Reading

You can buy this print at www.art.com Mrs. Cassatt Reading to Her Grandchildren by Mary Cassatt.

It was quite a difficult last few months and I fell off the bandwagon of reading regularly to my children. While I waited for healing and general improvement, I relied on the electronic babysitter (the television) just to make it through the day with my two young children. While I see nothing wrong or harmful with this method during the difficult days of an acute illness, the length of time I relied on the TV to keep my children nearby and entertained was too long. There have been some negative outcomes of it.

I do believe in the importance that Classical Education puts on reading to young children. Granted, I'd rather fill their ears with the cadence of Dr. Seuss or the sweet language of Winnie the Pooh, but Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank are the books of choice these days. I did try to read them a chapter a day of Elsie Dinsmore, but I couldn't make it through without crying and scaring my son.

It is nice to be reading to them again.