Please Enjoy Reading

My 6 year old daughter is obsessed with watching videos.  There is nothing Lila would rather do than sit in her pajamas and stare at the television screen.  When she was in pre-school all of the kids made a poster about their mom to hang in the hallway.  Her poster said, “I love my mom when she lets me watch a video”.  In Kindergarten she made a poster about Christmas traditions to hang in the hallway.  Her tradition was watching Christmas videos.

My husband and I don’t watch television and rarely watch a video.  We don’t have cable.  I can’t remember the last time we turned the television on for ourselves.  We read in bed before we go to sleep.

The kids get to watch videos when we are traveling and when they are sick.  Lila really likes getting sick.  She will sit with her “throw-up cup” in her hands and her eyes glued to the television screen.

Both kids (Lila and her 4 year old brother, Sawyer) ask when they are going to watch a video pretty much every day.  I have friends that are much more liberal about the television.  Their kids are not nearly as fixated on watching videos.  Hmmm…  Maybe I should have done things a little differently. 

Last night, after everyone was asleep, I knew I wasn’t going to bed anytime soon.  I was in the middle of Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret.  This is a fantastic page-turner, especially for a married mom.  I took my book downstairs, grabbed a soft fleece blanket, poured myself a glass of wine, and thoroughly enjoyed my evening.

Lila is turning into a great little reader in Kindergarten.  She is reluctant to read at home.  I am trying really hard not to push her.  I am not sure why I want her to enjoy reading so much?  Is it really better for her than an educational video or game on the iPod (another obsession of hers)? I guess I am just old-fashioned.