BeBe has loved books since she was a baby and could listen to story after story until my voice gave out. While I thought she was capable of learning to read by decoding words and memorizing word families before kindergarten. I didn’t necessarily feel it was a skill we needed to push at a young age. During kindergarten she breezed through reading lessons and knew sight words from us reading together. I assumed her reading would take off once first grade started.

Then first grade began. She did ok, but it surprised me that she didn’t seem to pick up chapter books on her own yet. I gave it some time, figuring the teacher was reviewing lessons from last year. The school year progressed, and she kept a good pace but her interest in books didn’t take off. I wondered if I had unrealistic expectations for her and should give her space. However, a few inconsistencies popped up. BeBe’s assessment scores at school indicated she should be further along than she was. I also notice that when we read together it seemed like BeBe was reading ahead to the next page or was good at guessing the story line. If I asked her about how this, she would dodge the question.

Then one night after we put the kids to bed I realized I forgot to grab the laundry basket in the hallway by the kids’ bedrooms. Our little guy had decided to be a wild man that night. Because of this I ninja – style sneaked up the stairs so he wouldn’t hear me and start jumping on the bed like a lunatic again. And I assumed BeBe would be in her bed looking at books or drawing. It often takes her awhile to fall asleep.

ADVERTISEMENT

When I reached the top of the stairs, I thought I heard her talking. When I crept closer to her door and peaked in, I could see her reading one of her chapter books. Periodically, she would read a difficult sentence out loud, then keep reading silently. Sitting at the top of the stairs where she couldn’t see me. I heard her fly through chapters on books we had checked out from the library but hadn’t read yet. It seems all this time BeBe could read chapter books. (Hence the reason she seemed to know what would happen in the story). I crept back down the stairs and let her finish reading.

The next day afterschool I mentioned that I heard her reading at bedtime. BeBe looked like she had been caught stealing a cookie. Laughing at her expression, I asked her why she didn’t let us know she could read chapter books. BeBe finally explained that she was worried if we knew she could read, we might stop reading to her at night and that was one of her favorite things to do with us. Of all the explanations for her reading not accelerating – I hadn’t considered that.  We sat and chatted in her room about all the awesome books I can’t wait to read to her, and that I will continue reading to her until she is 99-year-old lady if she wants me to. We’ve struck a good balance now of her reading to me, and me reading to her at night. Mystery solved.