Valerie

Just had to share this: My 8.5 yo, Tabitha, just finished her very first "big book"....the first Harry Potter which we previously read aloud. She has determinedly read it daily for weeks (months?), sometimes just two pages, sometimes a whole chapter, longer and longer as she got into it. She even got to the point of shutting out the rest of the world, sprawled on the couch, totally absorbed, while chaos reigned around her. Then last night I try calling her to dinner and I get no response. I look over and realize she's just two pages to the end. She didn't even hear me. I wait and in a few minutes she slams the book shut, jumps up and starts dancing and singing "I did it, I did it!" ala Tabitha's signature Happy Dance. We're talking total euphoria. Then she starts over to the book shelf for the 2nd book! I said, whoa, can we have dinner first? :)
 
Last summer I never would have thought she could get through a long chapter book by herself. She just seemed to blossom after years (really, years) of struggling with it. She would complain that her older sister always had her nose in a book, "You never play...all you want to do is read!" but at the same time was envious at Cristina's obvious enjoyment with reading. So, the other day while Tabitha is reading, #3 daughter Linnea says, "When are you going to play with me?! All you do anymore is read!" We all had to laugh. (Tabitha did stop reading to play, btw.)
 
One of those happy moments I'm going to treasure.---Valerie in Tacoma

Kathy Sullivan

Oh Valerie,
That is awesome! I am so happy for you and your
daughter. And cannot wait for my son to do the same
thing.

Kathy

--- Valerie <valeries@...> wrote:
> Just had to share this: My 8.5 yo, Tabitha, just
> finished her very first
> "big book"....the first Harry Potter which we
> previously read aloud. She has
> determinedly read it daily for weeks (months?),
> sometimes just two pages,
> sometimes a whole chapter, longer and longer as she
> got into it. She even
> got to the point of shutting out the rest of the
> world, sprawled on the
> couch, totally absorbed, while chaos reigned around
> her. Then last night I
> try calling her to dinner and I get no response. I
> look over and realize
> she's just two pages to the end. She didn't even
> hear me. I wait and in a
> few minutes she slams the book shut, jumps up and
> starts dancing and singing
> "I did it, I did it!" ala Tabitha's signature Happy
> Dance. We're talking
> total euphoria. Then she starts over to the book
> shelf for the 2nd book! I
> said, whoa, can we have dinner first? :)
>
> Last summer I never would have thought she could get
> through a long chapter
> book by herself. She just seemed to blossom after
> years (really, years) of
> struggling with it. She would complain that her
> older sister always had her
> nose in a book, "You never play...all you want to do
> is read!" but at the
> same time was envious at Cristina's obvious
> enjoyment with reading. So, the
> other day while Tabitha is reading, #3 daughter
> Linnea says, "When are you
> going to play with me?! All you do anymore is read!"
> We all had to laugh.
> (Tabitha did stop reading to play, btw.)
>
> One of those happy moments I'm going to
> treasure.---Valerie in Tacoma
>


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