“OK, I think we’re done the chasing game. Want to read a book?”
“No.”
<internal sigh to self>
(a split second later) “Yes!”
<internal “phew” to self>
Leading up to bedtime, we read a BUNCH of books in a row, including The Hungry Caterpillar TWICE. But it was the Green Eggs and Ham that stood out. The monkey doesn’t have a tonne of patience for books, and GE&H can be a bit… long. But he liked the way Alex and I were cuddled up and showing him the book. He could continue to jump on the couch occasionally, the freedom of which somehow made him happier to pay attention to the book.
I read relatively quickly and I did my best grumpy voice for the character that does NOT like Green Eggs and Ham (he does not like them, Sam-I-Am). When I would stop for a breath, our monkey would giggle or laugh.
“Why doesn’t he like Green Ham and Green Eggs?” asked Cole.
“I don’t think he has ever tried them. He only THINKS he doesn’t like them,” I said, not worried about ruining the surprise. “That sounds just like someone we know!”
Then as the book wrapped up and the grumpy character decides he likes them, an exuberant “YAY! HOORAY!” burst forth from Cole and he bounced around happily. Probably doesn’t seem like much, but for him to sit through that whole book, and to be so engaged… well, I just loved it. I felt like a skilled story-reader. And I helped him see that books can be as fun as (and more interactive than) TV.
Whether he caught my message about trying things before claiming to not like them, though… that remains to be seen!
even more captivating than being the sole respondant to a story that a priest is telling? ;p
Hoo boy! Maybe not quite that captivating.