If we were to take this title literally, what would you be? Should we attempt to give names to people based on what they read? Hmm, interesting thought…but we probably won’t get to the business of the day! So, reluctantly, I give this up!

I love travelling. No, let me amend that. I love the freedom I have when I travel, oftentimes. On the flight, I know that for the couple of hours it takes me to get to my destination, I am very unlikely to be disturbed with a phone call. (By the way, can someone tell the airlines that it is not a cool idea to enable phone calls while in the air?  I’m not sure whether this has finally been done or whether it is still a plan. Either way, please someone let them know what I think. I don’t want anyone getting in touch with me while I’m in the air. That’s me time! :D). I love the fact that when I check into my hotel or wherever, I don’t have to make dinner or worry about breakfast etc. I can decide to eat or not. But the very best part of all this, is what I have saved for last. This is when I catch up on all my reading…and please note that I don’t mean heavy duty reading. Very light, fun filled easy on the eyes reading. I touch base with John Grisham and his humour that keeps me doubled over in laughter, the suspense of Fredrick Forsyth’s novels, the intrigue of Jeffrey Archer’s characters etc. I read, I sleep and then of course, I attend to the business that brought me there. But I just love the freedom to read a novel.

Friends who knew me from way back always ask me whether I still read novels as much as I did back then. I would read novels even when I was supposed to be preparing for exams. That was my way of unwinding after tedious reading and this habit followed me all the way to the university (By the way, note that this is not a recipe for success. Actually, it is a recipe for disaster and I issue the immediate disclaimer that nobody should be found reading a novel while preparing for exams! :D) I don’t read that many novels anymore. Too many things pulling at me.

I started off with Ladybirds. We had a whole library filled with all the classics…Snow white (with the 7 Dwarfs and with Rose Red), Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks etc. Then I moved on to Pacesetters. These novels introduced me to the world of adult reading. It was a mixed grill of action, suspense and romance. Ah, romance. What Pacesetters introduced, Mills and Boon took to a whole new level. I’d like to ask a question though, ‘has anyone ever seen ‘that’ tall, dark and handsome chap (rich to boot of course)’ that we all read about in M & Bs? If you see him, summon him into my presence 😀

Back to our gist. This post is not about me or my good/bad reading habits. It is about this habit in our children. Children do not just read anymore. There are a ‘gazillion’ things pulling at them but reading…novels or anything is not one of those things. And it is not just here…it’s everywhere. My children and I took a quick vacation and on one of our outings, all three of them had a book in their faces. When they said hello to a lady in the elevator with us, she actually commented that it is so good to see children reading. That made my heart glow. I mean I would love to tell you that I’ve got these perfect children who read all the time and don’t have to be reminded. I really wish I could tell you that :D. But the truth is that, it is not that way. My first daughter would fall into that category (I saw her attempting to read a novel while taking a bath once. That settled it! I had to ban reading from certain activities :D). For the other two, it is carrot and stick approach. You’ve got your daily chores for the week and then you’ve also got to read a book during that week. If you do your chores satisfactorily, there is an allowance at the end of the week and then if a book was successfully finished, there’s an additional little something. Am I bribing these children to read? I try not to think of it in that sense. I like to think that I am encouraging a good habit in them…and by the way, during that holiday, they did not get any allowance for chores or anything else. So I must be succeeding in encouraging this habit….I think 😉

We are bringing up a generation of children who do not read, cannot write in complete sentences and are too lazy to reason through an issue when they can google it. I am sure my children think I’m a pain when I insist that text messages must be written in long hand. I mean, let’s face it. Letters are so last year (so they tell me) that beyond marking their English comprehension work (if you do), the only written correspondence you’re ever likely to have on a continuous basis with your children are text messages and perhaps emails. So they had better be good!

Reading also teaches them to ‘travel’ the world and visit other cultures and indeed learn to appreciate other cultures, people, traditions and religions. It develops their imaginations and gets them to, hopefully, think out of the box. Let’s have some more Einsteins please. People who will redefine the face of the earth; thinkers who will go after their dreams rather than expect them to be handed to them on a platter of gold; readers who are leaders and who will birth the next generation of readers. When you read, you have a rich store of words that are useful in different circumstances. Let’s top having those….’emmm, what’s the right word to use?’ moments (I am guilty too …sometimes!)

We, the parents, are no better. We only read fashion magazines and the gossip rags. Before you look for the rotten tomatoes to pelt me with, please note that I’m not averse to a good gossip now and again, but we’ve really got to feed our brains. Read management books, or self-development books or even novels. Or newspapers…what’s up with PDP, new or old? What’s happening in Jos? Iran? Syria? Beyond being a good conversation starter, it shows how knowledgeable you are and generally improves mental health. It is disheartening especially when young people come in for job interviews and have no idea of topical issues; some cannot even tell you anything about the company they profess to want to work for! It is mind boggling. There’s just no quest for knowledge or excellence.

We can actually inculcate this love for reading in children very early by reading to them when they are very young. As you tuck them into bed and they say their prayers, then settle in for a short or long read to them. This encourages bonding with your children, creates an intimate time when they know they can ask you any question, they develop longer attention span and indeed logical reasoning.

So lead by example and create a reading time for the whole family…you know, the same way you all gather watch TV? And if you’re not married, read too. It’s never too late to start a good habit. Feed your mind and build your mental health.

Here’s to a healthier you