I have read to my daughters since before they were born. A favorite book was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and then as the years flew by we embraced the Madeline storybooks by Ludwig Bemelmans. My oldest daughter, Helaina, named her sister, Madeleine, after those books. We moved on to those first chapter books, the Junie B. Jones stories by Barbara Park; then all of a sudden, my girls wanted to read on their own. I still kept reading aloud to them, although at the beginning reluctantly. I searched and found books so engaging to their interests that they soon resigned themselves to the good listen.
One in particul
ar was Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs by Cheryl Peck. When my oldest was 13, she couldn't be bothered to even pick up a book. I lured her to my reading wingback chair with the most enticing cover. A yellow cat wearing sunglasses and a purple wig, sticking out his tongue, with a lime green background on the cover of the book captured her pre-teen attention. I began reading. After a couple pages, she slumped on the couch in total resignation. I reached the cat part and I knew I had her. We love cats. She slowly stood up and came over and perched on the arm of my chair to follow along with the words. Next thing I knew she slid down in the seat with me, legs a kimbo, while I read. I read and read until we read the whole book. When I ended we both smiled and hugged. Imagine a hug from a 13-year-old daughter. Sublime, my friends. Reading can connect in a way no other venue can.Now with both my daughters graduating, one from the eighth grade and the other high school, sharing good reads has become even more our pastime. We are a family that reads. I learned a long time ago that children learn by actions not words. You want to see them reading, then you better be reading. Luckily for me, reading is a given. To me reading is the highest form of entertainment. I read every day and every night. Reading is just as much a part of my life as breathing. As Mother's Day rapidly approaches here are a few of the books we have enjoyed reading together, and reading separately only to discuss together later.
One Sunday my oldest came, bull in china closet, down the stairs. "Mom, mom, I read your book The Devil Wears Prada. I about croaked thinking that this book might be beyond her 15-year-old grasp. As she plopped on the couch we talked about the book, and then I told her about Bergdorf Blondes. I wanted her to read it, as I wanted to know if she thought girls should think more about shopping than about learning that serving others was to me of greater importance. After reading the book and discussing the book, she agreed with me wholeheartedly. These girls were shallow beyond all belief. Isn't it funny how books where you hate the story the most, you have the best book club discussions.
My youngest and I, too, have shared many a book. Recently, we started reading together Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor about a young girl and her mother who is far from normal. I left myself wide open for that comparison. I also found that Madeleine couldn't wait to go to bed so we could share that book together. Something to think about if you have a teenager that usually wants to stay up way past bedtime. I came back from my book tour with a book called The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon that the girls and I have gotten quite a kick out of. It is the story of a 14-year-old boy who goes to live on an island off the coast of Louisiana with his parents to run a chicken ranch. His mother is totally against the whole thing and when asked about her chickens she tells to all, "Oh, we don't raise chickens for profit, we raise them for the ambiance." Funny, poignant, and a great coming of age tale that we have certainly spent many an hour being entertained.
For older teens, read A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova. A 15-year-old girl is put on a plane to fly to Paris to become a model. I do believe that if every mother and her daughter would read this book, we could change the face of fashion today. Interestingly enough, Paulina too was put on plane at 15 to become a model. She told me when she was here visiting my book club at our Girlfriend Weekend, that if her mother had not done so she would have been a librarian. I was fascinated to learn that this international model turned author wrote this book in her third language. This is an important book and could change the way we view modeling today. My daughters and I have spent hours talking about this book and Paulina, who is even more beautiful on the inside as on the out.
Then, of course, I have to mention my all time favorite classic, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book that I read as a child, and now one I read every year, is the book that touches me more than any other. I did not realize how much my books meant to my children until one day I told them maybe I should sell my books to help raise funds for an author in need. Both my daughters forbid it and both told me, "Mom, those books are you. Long after you are gone, we will have you with us as we will have all your beloved stories. What do you want for Mother's Day?" All I know is I already received my gift: my children adore reading. Those shared story times are more precious than gold to me, and I have the filthy house to prove it, ha ha ha! I would much rather read to my children than clean house. Which do you think they will remember? My mother always kept a spotless house or my mother always took the time to read to me? I asked my daughters the other day what was their favorite childhood memory. They told me, "You reading to us, momma." Brings a tear to my eye everytime I tell it, I'm such a sap.
You want to connect with your mother? Your daughter? Share a good read. There is nothing in the world that means more to me than pulling my two almost grown daughters into my lap --- well, maybe scrunched on the couch on each side --- reading a good book. The power of the touch, the sound of each others' voice reading the story, the power of the good word is the perfect Mother's Day gift to me.
---Kathy L. Patrick
