Some time of her own…

One of the joys of having a third child has been watching her enjoy her older siblings. Caroline can spend hours watching her big brother and sister play their made-up games, either playing along with them or observing from the sidelines while occupying herself with some other activity.

The other day, my husband asked me if I had been reading to Caroline, remembering that with our first child we had already been reading stories for months by this point in his life. I replied that no, I had not sat down and individually read with her, although she has heard hundreds of stories just by sitting in on countless bedtimes with the older kids. Like many other parts of her life, Caroline has been happy to just learn by osmosis from her big brother and sister.

That night, however, I decided to give bedtime reading a try with Caroline, and it was truly a joy. This time belonged only to her and me, a few precious minutes of her own. Truly, it has been just as much fun for me as it has been for Caroline, to watch her turning the pages and smiling at her favorite parts of the books. Reading a few books together slows us both down, and gives me a chance to savor Caroline’s “littleness” while it lasts.

I love that my third child is happy to just come along for the ride, but I also love the quiet moments spent with just her, reading some of our favorite books. Thank you, Lord, for little ones.