002: Raising Children in a Real World, Story Rich Home
Before anyone gets this idyllic vision of our home life, just know that my youngest daughter came inside crying because her shoe fell off. There are dishes in my sink, and a pile of laundry on my bed. So if you’re here for some kind of ideal, Instagrammable, Pinterest-perfect family aesthetic, or parenting advice from a mom who has it all together, keep on looking. ‘Cause this ain’t it.
What I do want to share with you is how to raise children in a story rich home in the REAL world. The world where my kids don’t always want to play with the beautifully crafted wooden toys I spent hours scouring Facebook marketplace for. The world where book readings are interrupted by bickering and the occasional fart joke (because my son thinks that’s hilarious). The world where sometimes, just sometimes, I close the books and turn on the TV because mama needs a break. You know, the world that 99% of families live in but somehow only makes it onto 1% of social media (don’t take these statistics as gospel, 70% of all statistics are made up on the spot).
And yet, even in the midst of messy kitchens, garish plastic toys (everywhere), almost-constant squabbles, and more fast food meals than I care to ‘fess up to, I still believe very deeply that any home can be a story rich home, and every home ought to be. What do I mean by story rich?
I mean books. Everywhere. All kinds. Board books, leather-bound book sets, classics, new books, poetry books, anthologies, books on every topic imaginable. Banned books. Worldwide favorites. Obscure books. At every height, on every shelf, accessible to every member of the family (although maybe not all books should be accessible to every member of the family, especially if you have someone in your family who enjoys eating the pages…). That is the first step. Fill your home with books.
And the good news is, you don’t have to break the bank to do this. You would be surprised at the amazing books I have found at Goodwill and other second-hand and thrift shops. And of course let’s not forget our favorite place in the world: the public library. I realize that even with secondhand shops and the public library, filling your home with books is a huge privilege. One that many families in the world would give any thing to be able to do. So, while we fill our homes with books (as we are able), let’s also find ways to make this a reality for those around us who might be less fortunate. Donate books to your local schools, to shelters that help families escape abuse, to anyone you know who might not be able to escape to another world quite as easily as we can.
The second step is to simply read what you now have in your home. Read to your kids. Read to them daily - even if its just 1 book. I can’t tell you how many days have slipped by where all I had time for was 1 short picture book, but we made the effort to make it happen. When kids are little there is nothing quite like a bedtime story. Its a classic parenting go-to for a reason. It helps calm everyone and promotes a few minutes of quiet before bedtime.
As a busy mom, my favorite way to read right now is audio-books. And don’t come at me about that not counting, because I am counting it. If it weren’t for audio-books I think I would maybe average one book a year. Honestly, audio-books are the only reason any laundry gets folded in this house #justbeingreal
That’s it. That’s all you have to do. Have books. Have a lot of books. Have as many books as you can. Over the years we have sacrificed and saved in order to be able to buy as many books for our kids as possible (Thriftbooks is great for this!) because I want them to have as many books available to them at all time. My kids know they can go to our bookshelves and take off any book they want and read it. As a result, I am constantly tripping over books all throughout the house, and finding huge hoards of them stashed under beds, sofas, and behind chairs. But, even though it doesn’t make for a picture-perfect, Instagrammable design post, it does make for a home full of imagination and wonder. And I’ll take that any day over beige aesthetics (sorry, beige-moms, no offense!).
