Books and the Bedtime Routine
Putting my kids to bed is just about the best time of day. Its very ritualized and we all love it. First, we always read the Bible. For the oldest, its a paraphrase of the NIV that suites her age level, and for the youngest its Bible stories. After that, we read stories and pray, sing them their lullabies, tuck them in with hugs and kisses, and off with the lights.
This routine is the cause behind my rekindled interest in kids books. I had thought of being a writer in high school, and on through college, and even then my primary interest was in kids books. I had a few attempts at stories and poems in high school, but then forgot about writing until a brief period in college, when I wrote some poems in German for classes I was taking. That was extremely fun and I can still remember one.
Some years ago I was asked to speak for a service at a rest home. It was Palm Sunday and I spoke about Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem. As I was reading over the story again, I suddenly got hit with a story about the little donkey that Jesus rode into the city. A few months later, a friend of mine told me about awakening to the sound of clinking glass on her dresser. It was a mouse! Another story came right away. More followed, all of them stories for kids.
Then my first child was born. My wife and I both read to her and she never tired of books. She paged through books rather than play with stuffed animals. And as we searched for more books to read we discovered the riches of children’s literature. Some books, like the Bear in the Big Blue House, or Teletubbies, we couldn’t avoid, but there were many, many others that our daughter liked even more. And some of the books we’ve enjoyed the most, Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, Ginger Pye or Treasure Island, have all been bedtime reading.
Since kids, I’ve grown to love kids books even more. Not that I don’t read a lot of other things. For instance, I’ve been reading an excellent book, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It is really thought provoking. But my attention keeps being drawn back to my children’s books.
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