The Reading Dilemma

  A friend of mine invited me for a cup of coffee a few days ago. While in the kitchen, she suddenly asked me, "What do you think, how can I make my son read a book? He is already in the third grade, he doesn't read anything, what should I do?"
    I took a sip from my coffee and asked her if she watched HGTV from time to time-- she has such a beautiful house. She looked at me in dismay and asked me why I was changing the subject. No, I actually did not.
  "Look around you", I said, "you have such a wonderfully spacious and well organized house....five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and so on.  A far cry from my place, which is a cramped L shaped studio apartment. You have a beautiful house, but this home is missing something. I do not see any bookshelves. Where do you keep your books?" Nervous she grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs to her son's room.
  "You see he has plenty of books. Everything on the school's list, he has them all." she tells me.
"Yes my darling, however, I asked you where do you keep YOUR books? In this big house I've seen only two albums on your coffee table."
 "Oh yes, I found them in a garage sale, they are good conversation pieces and great for decoration. They match the color of my carpet don't you think?" she exclaims.
    "Ok. That's exactly why I asked you if you watch HGTV. These young designers arrange beautiful houses, but none of them look like a real home. Books are non-existant, except for decorative purposes. No one seems to read a book. Today every one listen to their ipods, watches TV, see my point? How in the world do you expect your child to read a book and love it, when YOU never read one?"
    In my studio, one wall is entirely dedicated to a library, where books are overflowing everywhere. My daughter grew up among books that I READ. I never asked her to read, and I never tried to MAKE her read anything. It came naturally to her. A child does exactly what his/her parents are doing. Parents today expect their children to excel in school solely on the education given by the teachers. What they must understand, is that their child's education and healthy habits begin at home. The school is just a continuation of their own example and efforts.