Rewind

I have spent fully half my adult life reading out loud.

No kidding.

I really have.

I started reading to my babies from board books at 3 months old. By the time they were 6 months, they would sit on my lap, wriggling in excitement and anticipation over what would come next in the "story."

As the kids graduated from board books, we moved into the realm of Little Golden Books, Sesame Street stories and The Berenstain Bears. From there, it was a short hop to Uncle Wiggily, Grimms Fairytales and King Arthur.

We read in the morning, before and after naps and before bed each and every night, to each and every child.

There were times when I would be reading a novel to the boys, a separate book to Sarah, and still different books to Melissa. We used to have "reading marathons," when I would tell the kids to choose a stack of books each and we would snuggle up in bed or on the couch and read, read, read to our hearts' content.

My parents thought we were a little weird to be still be reading to our teenage sons, but as long as they enjoyed it, Michael and I were happy to oblige. Besides, it was fun to share more adult humor and science fiction/fantasy with our kids.

With the decision to homeschool came even more reading aloud, as the kids were all home for more hours every day. We delved into historical fiction, mythology and classical literature. There were times when I was reading upwards of 3 or 4 hours a day.

Out loud.

Yesterday was one such day, as I read the new Cornelia Funke book, "Inkdeath," to Melissa while she ate breakfast, during lunch and well into the afternoon. I joke that Melissa uses me as her tape player, reading to her while she works on crochet projects, woodburning, artwork, etc.

I remember the last book I read to all four children at once. "Watership Down," by Richard Adams, was a fantastic family read. My two girls snuggled on each side of me, my teenage boys sprawled across the foot of the bed and dh often squeezed in somewhere while we all enjoyed the novel together.

Reading to my kids, introducing them to the glory of a good story, the thrill of finding a book you just can't put down, has been one of the most fulfiling activities of my motherhood.

Unfortunately, my ability to continue reading while basically asleep has also provided a lifetime of hilarity for my kids. As I begin to fall asleep, random phrases creep into the text, such as the time I boldy read of the knight who "donned his shining earrings" or the time the pharoah and his enemy decided to "meet over a cup of coffee."

I have also been known to read entire chapters and not be able to remember what I've read. Far too often, the girls have had to recap the previous night's adventures, as I have no memory whatsoever of having read them.

Melissa is only 11 1/2, so I figure I have a good 6 or 7 years of reading aloud left before grandchildren.

Although, I've always thought it would be fun to read a book out loud with my husband...