The Family Read
Enclosed is a free chapter from my book!
The sun is setting and I am scooping farm fresh chicken soup into everyone’s bowls and spreading butter on top of the sourdough rolls warm from the oven.
It was in the teens when we got up today, cold for North Carolina, and it’s now below freezing again.
After a full day of farm work moving sheep, haying animals, milking goats and lugging water for cows and chickens, it’s nice to be toasty inside at the end of the day.
Tonight we have some matters to discuss.
The boys and I had a meeting earlier in the day regarding our beef production plans and we are uprising Jeremiah about our discussion.
The winter cold and freezing weather brings new responsibilities to the homestead and we are talking as a family over bowls of soup about who does what when.
Once everyone has eaten several helpings of stewed chicken, but only one roll because the rolls I and were massive, the guys wash their dishes (something we are working on making automatic without reminders) and Jeremiah looks for the Bible.
He returns to the table and leads us in the Lord’s Prayer.
It’s my turn to read tonight and we are in John 10.
Everyone sits quietly (surprisingly not fidgety at all, they are tired) as I read about the shepherd.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
When I finish there are questions and comments, but everyone is pretty subdued from the work day and full bellies, so they slowly make their way to their bunkhouse and the talk is now limited to just Jeremiah and I.
It’s complete dark now and he and I chat for a little while until we climb up into the loft and go to sleep.
—///—
You may already know that we are in a reading crisis here in America.
Fewer children and adults are reading now than they have in a long time and our literary levels are in serious decline.
I find this concerning because reading is a necessary skill for empowerment and independence.
Education is free and unrestricted when you can read.
One is more articulate, a better writer and better informed when one has a strong reading habit.
Reading builds imagination.
Reading is exclusively capable of activating parts of your brain.
Reading helps balance out the visual manipulation of information strictly delivered via screens.
We all know reading is not just fundamental, but essential, so it will come as no news to you that parents, teachers, researchers, thought leaders of society are all asking many questions regarding how we as a society can get children to read again?
And while I think that’s a worthy question, I believe the question itself is missing the point.
Part of why we are in this crisis is our emphasis on children reading, early and independently when reading should FIRST be a family affair.
It’s easy to say, “kids should be reading more!”.
Many of us have even committed to searching high and low for books that our children will enjoy reading and ACTUALLY read, but I am of the mind that a large part of why children no longer read is because the family no longer (or rarely) reads together.
This Advent season, lots of folks around the world are setting aside time every day for a Christmas-inspired reading of one variety or another, often an excerpt from the Bible.
There’s the lighting of candles, the gathering around on a cozy winter evening in a special designated space in the home.
The ceremony and celebration of it makes one feel good and proud and particularly fond of this time of year.
But I want to remind everyone that we do not have to reserve this exercise simply for advent.
For decades upon decades, families have gathered in the evening around the remaining light of the day and perhaps with the aid of gas lights or candles, read aloud from yes the Bible, but many other books as well.
Simply HAVING books of your own was once considered a privilege and these books were cherished.
Family members wouldn’t necessarily have been permitted to handle these heirloom investments, so the reading of them then by necessity, occurred when the mother or father of the household would take out the book and read aloud so that everyone could enjoy the words on the parchment pages.
For most of history books weren’t even divided into “adult” vs. “children’s” books.
The Bible, Shakespeare, Dickens and Plato were read to all ages of people in the family.
In fact, I think that part of where we lost our way was SEGMENTING the act of reading into something done solely by respective members of a family alone instead of something we all do together.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to read silently by myself and I love to see my children and husband doing the same, but I ALSO love when we read together and I believe very strongly that the culture of reading in a family is established MORE through the read-aloud moments than through the provision of books and alloted time for reading (or bribery) for children.
Believe me, I have bribed my children to read.
I have sent them to their rooms to read.
I have both punished and disciplined them via books.
I have purchased 100’s of books over the courses of their lives to facilitate their independent reading, but I’m not sure that we as a family would have been quite as successful at cultivating a love for reading in their little minds had we NOT devoted lots of time to reading together.
A few years ago we were in a homeschooling group and on occasion the parents would be called upon to read aloud.
When I tell you that many of them struggled, I am putting it mildly.
One day it broke my heart to hear a man in his mid-to late 40’s, a smart man who was successful at his occupation, well educated and very friendly, slowly sounding out words and taking a moment to recognize the words he was expected to read aloud.
And it wasn’t just him.
This happened over and over again.
Adults that could not read aloud and why?
I would put money on two things:
They have very little practice with it.
They were not read aloud to as a child very often. **Yes I know that many people have learning challenges that make reading difficult, but this happened too many times over and over again in educated people (some of these people were doctors even!) for this to simply be and issue of health or development.
**If reading aloud in front of others is something that feel potentially frightening or impossible, I would strongly encourage you to begin to practice NOW in the comfort of your own home, alone even, if you’re not ready to read in front of others.**
Reading is such a simple blessing that we can provide for one another.
It is an easy action we can take to help our kids learn to love to read.
It is a blessing to anyone sick, tired, worn out, or in need of extra love.
It is a beautiful way to spend time together as a family, making traditions, memories and enjoying educational experiences all at once.
If you are not currently reading aloud to anyone in your life right now, I am not in any way judging you.
I will tell you the culture of read aloud in my household was primarily established by my husband and I am so very grateful for it.
He took the time no matter how worn out he was from his day to read to our boys most nights when they were young and that tradition often inspired me to take over when he was busy and to do the same earlier in the day (I was often exhausted by the evening).
He blazed this trail for us and all of my are now boys are strong, independent readers both silently and aloud.
I simply want to encourage you that reading aloud is good for you, good for others, good for society!
It will help you to be more well spoken.
It will make it easier for you to read in public when you have to, and these occasions do occur from time to time.
It is a beautiful gift you can offer to children a loved one, a spouse, a lonely neighbor or even stranger.
It will make both you AND them better.
It is how we help children to learn to love stories, to love to be lost in a world of imagination and pictures created by the weaving of their own thoughts with the words of an author.
Reading aloud is also a powerful tool during time of spiritual battles-I have many times read scripture aloud when I have been afraid, sad or discouraged.
The word of God pierces the darkness, casts it out and makes the Holy Spirit’s presence known.
Reading the Bible aloud will change your day, your heart, your mind AND your household.
If you have children, do yourself a favor and consider adding a family read aloud of any book to your advent celebrations.
Finish your nightly Christmas reading and then jump to a chapter in a book!
And why stop with the Christmas reading?
Keep going!
For Bible reading-simply reading a verse a night will help you keep up the habit without making it overwhelming.
You can also pick a long book to work through gradually or maybe a different short book per night?
Don’t get too in your head about it.
Even older kids enjoy being read simple books (providing there is no competing entertainment available at the time…)
Beatrix Potter,
The Chronicles of Narnia,
Little House on the Prairie,
Dr. Seuss,
The Three Trees (a Christmas favorite),
Beverly Cleary, (all)
My Side of the Mountain,
Little Britches,
The Princess and the Goblin…
there’s so many lovely books you could start with.
FREE CHAPTER BELOW
I know we have Audible now and maybe you are already in the habit of being read to by others, but just in case you have NOT been read to in a while and you need a little ADDED inspiration to start reading aloud the the favorite people in your life, I have read the first Chapter in my book to you today and you can listen to it here.
THE BIG MOVE CHAPTER ONE
You AND your kiddos may enjoy being read to today and my hope is that you may also want to see where the Wister’s story goes. Head over to sadiemakesjam.com
As for your story, I pray you feel empowered to make your evening family time something that feels special year round and I hope that reading aloud is something your try out this week to see how it feels for you and how it blesses others.
If it’s a new habit, keep it short and don’t be surprised if the kiddos struggle to sit still.
It can take a few evenings (and trying a couple of different books, for that matter) for their brains to adapt to the new tradition, but they will settle and they will even begin to look forward to the nightly reading as a calming and familiar family ritual.
Xoxo,
Sarah