Reading With My Children

I love to read with my kids. They love it, too. We are a regular bunch of bookworms around here. We usually try to read in the evening before bedtime and we are currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring together, when we get an early enough start in the evening, that is. Boo likes to read in her rocking chair before bed, also. She’s quite demanding. She usually knows what book must be read, and then when I finish, she says, “Sing.” So we sing a song or two or three. Then I put her in bed and many times she’ll hand me a book and say, “Daddy read.” So I’ll go find Drew and he’ll read to her a little more.

A while back the boys and I started reading through the book of Genesis in the morning before school. We had been studying Exodus on Sunday nights at church, and it became clear to me through some questions they were asking that they weren’t clear on what led up to Exodus. I am a firm believer that the stories from the Bible should be understood in their greater context, not as stand-alone stories unconnected to the greater whole. I’ve blogged about this before. To properly understand the stories, you really need to know how it all fits together, and to truly understand Christianity, you need to understand the Old Testament and how all of it goes together as well.

So, we began reading through Genesis. Can I just tell you that we have had a really good time doing this. I don’t always get to it each morning if we are having a late day, but the boys ALWAYS ask if we get to read Genesis today. That thrills this mommy’s heart, let me just say. It has been a good exercise for me, too, as I attempt to explain as we read because I want them to understand and know it as well as I can teach it to them.

I was so excited the other day when the boys really seemed to be getting into the story as we read. We had started in on Genesis 30 and had gotten to verse 3 when Rachel decides that since she has not been able to conceive that she would give her maid to Jacob. J spoke up about then and said, “Oh, no! Don’t do it! Not again. She’s not going to, is she mom?” I told him, “Oh, yes! Just wait, it gets even worse.” J couldn’t believe it, after the whole Sarah, Hagar, Abram, Ishmael thing earlier that here we were again.

I love, love, love it that the boys are paying such close attention and getting this. I cannot wait until we get to read about Joseph. They are going to love it!

Who says reading the Bible is boring? Moms, make the Bible interesting for your kids! If you love it and read it like you love it, they will see it in you as you share it with them. Read with excitement and inflection and explain as you go along, and it will be precious time spent in the Word with your kids. This has been so good, and we have so much more still to go!