When you realise they can read, it’s magic

Parenting has lots of amazing moments, and this is one of mine. When you realise they can read, it’s magic

My six-year-old can read…

I know most children her age are in the process of learning to read, being taught at home and at school. I have known she could “read”, as in sound out words and read to me from her reading books, but the other day, as we were heading out of the door, to school, she looked at a poem, that we have on the wall, which she has never really taken any notice of before, and she literally read the whole thing to me, with no help, some quite tricky words, the whole 12 lines. I was astounded and proud. She has gone from being a learner reader, to being able to read confidently, in what seems like a very short time.

Reading, for me, and for us as a family is very important, and it is a skill everyone needs to have, and the sudden realization that my baby, my little girl, has mastered this skill, was a real moment for me. I am a prolific reader, I love reading, books, newspapers, blogs, articles, you name, it, I love to read and I think she has inherited my love. She loves being read to, learning new words, working out sentences, and writing her own stories. We regularly read with and to both the children, and have done since they were tiny, and feel that reading to them and encouraging reading is an important thing we can do for them as parents.  When I went to Parents Evening at school, that same day, her teacher told me she was very pleased with her reading progress, and that she was at the top level for her age and key-stage in her reading ability. I have to say, I have been bursting with pride ever since. Reading opens such a world of possibilities and opportunities to us, and watching your child learn that skill and begin to enjoy it, truly is magic.

The only problem is, now that she is becoming confident in reading and also spelling, I can no longer spell out words or things I don’t want her to know when I am having a conversation with the husband. No getting anything past this child, I can’t send him to the shop for some c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e any more, without letting the children know,  because she knows what I am saying. I guess we will need to stick to Morse Code from now on… 😉