Tag: books

Books, books and more books…… (and motorbike magazines)

Reading Motorbike Magazines

Ben loves books, which we are very happy about as I have a huge collection from being a teacher and have a great love of children’s books. I thought it would be nice to record his favourites from month to month. He knows what he likes. He chooses books himself and will bring them to you to read but will also push a book away if he doesn’t like it. He has a book cupboard which he sits at daily and pulls out books and sits and reads them. We seem to accumulate a small pile of books to read at bedtime and If I try to skip some he digs to find them in the pile. Benjamin and Andrew also like to read the magazine – Australian Motorcycle News.

His favourites at the moment are: “Dig Dig Digging” by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe, “Mice Squeak-We Speak” by Tomie do Paola (A poem by Arnold L Shapiro) and “Where is the Green Sheep?” by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. He also likes to read “Peek-a-Boo” by InnovativeKids. I have put photos of us in this book and he is beginning to tell me who it is. It is such a joy to read with him.

One of Bens favourite books.One of Bens favourite books.One of Bens favourite books.One of Bens favourite books.

Watching

As new parents we are constantly monitoring and comparing Benjamin’s “progress”. In this modern day environment there is such a volume of information readily available that offers guidance or advice on what/when/how a child “should” develop. In addition there is the advice of friends and family who have been through it all before.

Ben loves to read his booksIt is so easy to get hung up on measuring your child’s current progress against these standards and expectations.

Our most recent observation was Benjamin’s mobility (or lack of, according to expectations). It seems that there is such a wide range of “normal” for when, how or even if a baby will start to crawl (some start at six or seven months, others skip straight to walking). Up until Ben’s first birthday he was moving around only a little. Since he turned one he has taken off but he is still not crawling in the traditional sense (he commando crawls on his belly mostly).

As I said it is easy to get hung up on these milestones that are perceived as important. I am sure there are plenty of things that Ben does perfectly well before “time” that go unnoticed.

We have learned to just watch and encourage in the knowledge that these things will all happen in good time. We are certainly enjoying watching Ben as he discovers and develops. It seems every week or even every day at times, he is doing something new (well it’s exciting for us anyway).