My mom isn’t a wide reader. She loves visuals more than writen stuff. My dad, though, reads the paper every day but I never realized that until I was in college or idk maybe when I was already working. Now I was not sure why I read a lot since I was a kid. They offered me coloring books and a lot of scratch papers to write on but I cannot remember why and how and when I started reading books.
This post from The Humorists actually what triggered this post. It sounded like “I read a lot, so my kid reads a lot.” What if the kid got this from her pre-school teacher who kust randomly calls her students so everyone have to be ready reading at least a paragraph? What if she got it from his nerd friend in school who was always bullied so she prefers being alone, reading? What if she got nothing else to do, so her academic books, magazines on the table, newspapers in the bathroom, pocket books on the racks, and bed time stories are her only friends?
Parents are indeed the first teachers of a child, I fully agree with that. Teachers of good morals, wonderful traits, etc. But as a child, and I don’t think they are the top influencers as well. But as a wide reader, I comment: Reading is not just “yeah, my mom taught me to read so I’m reading”. Reading is more like “I love reading. I like reading.”
Though the point of the quote “Children don’t hear us, they imitate us” is true, but not entirely true. I remember my dad was soooo good in Math, I wanted to be like him. So I studied and practiced then Math became one of my highest-rated subjects. My mom, honestly, curse a lot even at the simplest “kontrabida” in a “teleserye” and I, apparently, don’t curse. (Well, except when I was cheated on or when people just get into my nerves.)
I’m not sure where this post is going to, but I just wanted to share my thoughts as a child. And as a new mom, I’d like to add:
We unconsciously set the standards for our children. What we are, are not necessarily what they think is best, but it makes them think it is normal. The sad part is, some things we show them are not good examples.
The one thing that is marked into my mind when we were having the seminar before Mnemo’s Christening was “you should never let your kids see or know what’s you’re arguing about”. As partners, and as parents, we never should let our kids feel that love is fading right after we taught them the meaning of it.
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