We Read

At times, Lil Missy will demand, "Read to me." With pleasure, my dear. And that is how we can brainwash little children and persuade them not to sing terribly bubblegummy pop songs. Hurhurhur. Today, she sat quietly in her chair and tried to read. She couldn't recognize many words in the book picked out for readers much older than her, but she understood the illustrations and our words read aloud.

It's always very hard to leave a bookstore empty-handed. Of course she was allowed to buy books. She had fun picking out the 2 books she wanted. She was very clear about not wanting certain books. She made sure to flip through the ones she wanted to ascertain that the content was indeed what she thought they were, and that she really wanted them. To decide all that, she had us read to her. We're certainly not interfering in her decision-making process. It's a good thing that she knows her mind.

We had a book of animals in the forest, in the desert, grasslands and under the sea. She asked me about animals in the zoo. "Where are the animals in the zoo?" Uh-oh. Zoo?! Ummmm. This would be a great time to explain that the zoo, is not a natural habitat for animals in spite of it all. In time to come, we'll probably need to double check that she doesn't think chicks and chickens grow up in the supermarket.

Once she understands alphabets, a whole new world is opened up. She can spell names and write them without prompting. She recognizes familiar words easily. Concepts are fleshed out a lot easier. Importantly she could finish jigsaw puzzles and fix up the blocks on her own. I'm only in charge of flipping the blocks around for her. Often, the little one dictates the adults' roles in her world of play. She's turning 4 in a bit, and (unfortunately) soon to be inducted into the system of formal schooling and competitive grading. :(