"Sit down."
"Put that away, I'm reading a story"
"Stop moving"
"Shhhh, just listen!!"
Every night we did the same bedtime routine: potty, teeth, pj's, stories and bedtime. My son would pick out his books and once I started reading he became still, pointing stuff out and waiting until I finished the page before asking questions. Then came my daughter, and we started reading together on the couch. It was a fun bonding experience.
Until....
She learned how to crawl. STORYTIME WAS NEVER THE SAME! Every time I read books to them she was always up dancing, playing with toys, singing, running around etc. and I was constantly using 1, if not all of the above quotes.
Today was an off day. After telling them it was story time without even so much as a glance, they continued their game of playing horse & monster (more like running around like wild banshees). Too exhausted from lack of sleep, I grabbed a couple books and plopped myself on the couch. The sooner I finished the books, the sooner I could put them to bed whether they listened and or not. Again, too exhausted to care if they were getting educated, I just started reading.
My son dropped his horse, grabbed a blanket and sat beside me listening. My daughter was playing with trains and singing.Then something crazy happened. As if I had bribed her with a bowl of ice cream and a bag of candy, my daughter for the first time EVER, climbed up without being asked/told and listened to 3 books. Fully Engaged!!!!
After I put them to sleep, I recalled the order of events and realized the only thing different today was that I just started reading. I didn`t pay any attention to her behaviour or try to control her actions. I just let her be. It made my heart melt to be cuddling with both of them as I read. It was the best story time yet. :D
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