Jan09
Landmark — er, bookmark
Today was a first. After a harrowing trip to Walmart this morning (all trips to Walmart are harrowing for me), I returned home to find Older Daughter totally absorbed in this book
Finally, I asked her directly, “What story are you reading?”
“I can’t pronounce it,” she replied tonelessly, not looking up.
(Aside: how do you a read a story when you can’t pronounce one of its main words? How do other people’s minds work? I invent a pronunciation and within three reps it’s written in stone.)
The story was “Vainmoinen,” a Finnish myth. Never read it myself.
This is a landmark, the first day I’ve been aware of how far gone she was into a literary journey of her own. It’s both completely awesome… and, somehow, bittersweet.
9 Comments »Bookish reflections, Children's books, Parenting/Education
=)
(Amazing comment, I know!)
I know exactly what you mean! There was a time when I knew the origin of every single thing my kids knew. Once they started to read, they started having their own separate lives in a whole new way.
I remember being sad when my oldest’s time and capacity to read outpaced mine. Glad that they want to read more — but sad not to share every reading experience together any more.
I do the same thing with pronunciations — I tend to sound them out phonetically in my own mind, and then have a hard time changing over when I do find out the correct way.
I’ve often said words the wrong way for ages, always pronouncing them the way my brain first worked it out from a book. Even after being corrected, I find it hard to change! Some names can be really difficult to figure out, though. I wouldn’t know how to say that one!
Isn’t it wonderful! You are raising a self-motivated learner. And there are plenty of good books about so that she could find the one that grabbed her.
What a wonderful moment. Thanks for sharing it with your bookish blogging friends.
Two things:
I know what you mean completely, even though I haven’t experienced this myself. I’ve held off on reading certain books to my girls simply because I think they might be best experienced alone, when they’re older. (I’m thinking here specifically of Anne of Green Gables. I might even blog about it eventually.
)
The second is this: I remember a JF book from when I was a child called, I think, The Magnificent Brain. WHY I didn’t know how to pronounce magnificent, I don’t know, but in my mind I pronounced it like sufficient. Interesting.
I love this post!
Loving your blog! I am hosting an art giveaway that you might find interesting. Stop by when you have a chance and take a look.
Blessings
diane
Oooh, we have a couple of kindred spirit areas here …
Wal-Mart became so harrowing for me that I quit going altogether. I think it’s an age thing.
I also invent pronunciations when I don’t know how to say things. Even if I’m incorrect, I must call it something.