Our Daughter Read her Very First Book

For people whose children naturally read early, or who are enrolled in school, you may be bewildered by this post. We don't push our kids to read, and we don't force reading instruction on them. Deciphering symbols is a skill that man has mastered of his own accord for tens of thousands of years. We provide the opportunity to read, and positive reinforcement/assistance when it comes up, but other than that we let the kids do their own thing.

Today our dd picked up a children's book I bought for our upcoming vacation ... and just read. The whole thing, out-loud, from beginning to end. She explained it and laughed at it and enjoyed it all the way through (but there was one area where she eventually stopped reading the word "blew" because she's already read it four or five times and was sick of it. lol You have to wonder what writers are thinking sometimes.)

It reminds me of when she was very, very small and we would hear her in her room, whispering, practicing, but never saying a word to us directly. Not until she was sure she had the whole talking thing down.

I'm very proud of her for trusting herself AND US enough to try. Am I pleased she succeeded? Of course, but in my opinion being able to read at age 7 is a very minor accomplishment when compared to being afraid to fail but taking the leap anyway. Big hearts to my little girl today!

If anyone is interested, the book that finally tempted her to read aloud was "The Big, Big Wind". Annnnnyone who knows us will know why. It's a Mickey Mouse book I picked up in the Target $1 bins, and it is pretty entertaining. That goes double when it's read by a little girl who is rolling and giggling her way through to the end.