Bedtime Stories

Growing up neither one of my parents would read me a bed time story. I was told it didn't happen at all, but many of my classmates talked about how their parents read to them until they fell asleep. I was of course jealous of this, but smiled and said that was nice.

We had a cousin come and stay with us while she was attending college. Each night she would come up and read to me. She told me the story of Thomas the tank and all of his adventures. She would imitate his whistle as well. With our city being a major employer for the railroad, it was only natural that I would love trains and planes. Thomas was my favorite but she wouldn't read about Thomas every night. She said he was for special occasions such as holidays, my birthday. I would protest and she'd break out another Thomas the Tank book and read his adventures to me. Sometimes she would tickle me or blow on my belly and you could hear me cackling throughout the whole house.

Whenever she wasn't telling me about Thomas, she would read instead about Woody Woodpecker or Rocky and Bullwinkle perhaps even Yogi. I loved all of those stories. She would imitate the voices of each character and have me laughing very loud and I could be heard throughout the entire house. But there was also a sad ending to my cousin reading to me and that was the physical abuse I was suffering at the hands of my parents. She couldn't turn a blind eye anymore.

One night she came to me and said she was leaving within a week. I promised I would be good so she would stay and she told me it wasn't my fault. I became depressed because I loved Thomas the Tank and I dreamed that perhaps he would come to life and convince my cousin to stay. After all he had magic powers and if anyone could do it then it would be Thomas. Her last night there she told me the story of Thomas the tank and his many adventures he was on. She also introduced me to Popeye the Sailor Man and his spinach eating adventures. I said spinach, yuk. As I went to sleep she kissed me on the cheek and said good night sweet prince.

I woke up the next morning and ran to her room only to find she had already without even a goodbye. The first book I wanted to learn how to read was Thomas the Tank so I could remember his adventures. It was never the same as it was with my cousin. She left me a Thomas the Tank engine and I played with that thing until it broke.

I also learned about Woody Woodpecker and his many adventures. I would try to imitate his laugh but it was no use. I had an aunt that would let me sleep with an extra humpty dumpty doll that they had made whenever I was over there, but I still longed for my cousin to come back and read to me. She was such a good story teller. Eventually I would get to read every Thomas the Tank book and make up my own adventures in my imagination with Thomas and I playing together. Eventually as I became older I wanted I wanted my super heroes to come save me.

Every now and then I will sit back an reminisce with my sister and we laugh as we remember our cousin. Our cousin passed away many years ago and engraved on her headstone was "the greatest reader of children's books." I did read a bed time story to my son and daughter to try to start a tradition. It didn't work, my children preferred to watch television than to be read to. I started the tradition with my grandchildren. Did it work? I won't know until they are married or have children, whichever comes first. I started them on the Backyardigans and they would laugh. I hope they will continue the tradition, but who knows.

I don't think reading bedtime stories to children is as common as it used to be, which is a pity. A lot of parents will say I don't read very well and use that as an excuse, but to your child it doesn't matter how well you read as long as you are spending time with them and telling them you love them. The reason why I believe that reading bed time stories to children isn't common anymore has to do with the fact that both parents work and usually different shifts. Like I said in another story the only thing you can count on is change.

When I applied to be a foster care family, I bought age appropriate books and had planned to start a tradition of reading a bedtime story to my foster children and start a new tradition with them to where when they went back home their parents could continue the process of bonding with their children. Reading to your children is an excellent bonding process and build that relationship between you and the child.

https://youtu.be/t3XaPVpm6eo