Friends, let’s face it – everything about raising kids is an exercise in and a test of faith. There’s the constant questioning of whether you’re “doing it right” while at the same time never knowing exactly what “right” is. There’s the incontestable fact that every child is different. If you’re a parent of multiple kids, you’re acutely aware that each child has his or her own moods, likes and dislikes. And within each individual child, just when you think you’ve got one figured out, a growth spurt happens and you’re back to square one.
Parenting would be so much easier if children were delivered with an owner’s manual and a maintenance subscription. In that absence, faithful parents have God’s scripture to offer instruction and encouragement. As the mother of well-adjusted, contributing adults, I am grateful my husband and I muddled through the daunting yet rewarding task of child rearing with our sanity intact and our faith strengthened. As the author of children’s books, I see my gratitude reflected on the pages I write.
It is my goal for parents and children to build precious memories while reading together and to help kids fall in love with reading. My own experiences have led me to understand the fundamental nature of gratitude. I believe an appreciation for all of life – the sweet and the bitter, the shining and the dark times – provides the fuel for days when we feel we just can’t move forward and offers a hopeful payoff with every sunset.
I hope the following scriptures and musings will help you instill a love of reading in your children. Challenge your kids to look for examples of each Bible verse in every book you read with them and in life’s day-to-day activities.
Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it
Each book in my Menagerie Series begins with the same sentiment: sisters Charlotte and Penelope begin every day eager, excited and ready to play! Their excitement has, no doubt, been modeled by faith-filled, optimistic parents. They are ready to appreciate fresh air, nature and friendship. Not all of Charlotte and Penelope’s friends look like them: two have eight arms each, some are tiny and some are quite large, and one is noticeably older than the rest. Some have habits or mannerisms that require a little extra effort, such as Fred’s need to eat, Hayes continually being the last one to finish anything and Mary always having her cousins in tow. But Charlotte, Penelope and the entire Menagerie accept each other for who they are and appreciate the unique elements each brings to the friendship.
Ask your children to tell you what they like about their closest friends and at any point during the day, invite them to share something they see that makes them feel thankful.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
The final page of my first book, Charlotte and Penelope and Their Magical Menagerie, contains animal facts and questions regarding each as they apply to your children. One entry asks, “what is something you can’t do now that you want to learn to do?”
When I pose this query to a young audience, the most popular answers relate to physical skills such as doing cartwheels, hitting a baseball “really far”, or riding a horse. Occasionally a budding chef mentions learning to cook, or a tiny linguist will want to learn a new language. In the book, there are examples of learning to skate, and applied skills of surfing, climbing and picking fruit.
It’s important for children to realize that some skills will come easily while others – possibly reading – will demand more time, more practice and more patience. Determination and persistence are great vocabulary words to introduce to your child and fitting attributes to include in bedtime prayers. Then, as your child begins to learn a new skill, help track the progress and remind him or her to appreciate the small advances, for they will most certainly lead to greater achievement.
Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters
In my second Menagerie Series book, Charlotte and Penelope and The Neighborhood Stage, the sisters are sick in bed with colds, and the Menagerie wants to do something to make them feel better. Do they text a smiley face? Send a card?
No, they decide to stage a multi-act talent show complete with homemade costumes, a custom-designed stage, mass marketing and a light show. They even invite a special guest from afar just to make it more special.
The Menagerie’s appreciation for their friends causes them to work as hard as they can to deliver the best gift possible. And they learn how to work together in the process.
In Charlotte and Penelope and Their Magical Menagerie, the sisters show appreciation for their friends my inviting them to a brunch where they play together, rest under the shade of the trees together and, of course, break bread together. The book ends with the friends embracing each other in gratitude and love.
Teaching our children to always do their best is teaching them gratitude for their mind, abilities and talents. By developing their attributes to their highest personal levels, our children are demonstrating thanksgiving to their Maker and the teachers whom the Lord has placed in their lives. And while they’re developing the habit of always producing a job well done, they’re also learning that when tasks or skills become challenging, they can draw on their faith to help overcome the difficulty.
And finally, a note of encouragement for the parents: Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it
The habit of reading to children even before they are able to talk and continuing into their formative years has proven benefits. A 2019 study by The Ohio State University concluded that a child who was never been read to would have been exposed to 4662 words by the time the child is five years old, while the word-exposure of a child who was read to 3 to 5 times per week would jump to roughly 167,000. That number grew to almost 1.5 million words for a child who was read 5 books per day during the first five years. Given the industry standard for a children’s picture book is 32 pages, finding the time to read even one book per day seems possible.
Reading to your child not only assists with vocabulary building but also bolsters the ability to focus and stimulates the child’s imagination. Both of these characteristics will be necessary as your child begins to learn more complex skills and develop a facility for critical thinking.
Most importantly, fostering the habit of reading will enable your children to seek their own understanding, encouragement, solace and direction as they grow by enabling then to read and interpret the Bible and other developmental writings that support your family’s values.
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