Wanting to read

She has discovered that on the back of the Hairy McClary from Donaldson's Dairy book that each of the five stories is shown. I taught her this. I used to take pride in the teaching of this. I thought how heroic I was for showing her how, now, she could turn the book over and point to the story she wanted to read. I loath myself sometimes. The scenario starts the way I wanted.

She flips the book over. "Daddy which one? Which one?"

If you are like me, you are amazed that she wants to pick one. Then it all goes awry. "This one and this one and this one and this one and this one." There are five different books. She has picked all five.

"Honey, we can only read one. Pick the one you want."

"Which one Daddy, which one?"

Finally, she points to the one, well, the one about a cat stuck in a tree.

I turn to the beginning of the story. In my fantasy, we read through the story. She is amazed and overjoyed that she picked the very story that we are currently reading. It is my fantasy. The reality is that, prior to reaching the bottom of the first page of the story, she pulls the book away, flips it over and says, "Which one Daddy, which one?" and points to them all.

Luckily, Mommy and I can recite most of them from heart and just recite the story while she points at the back page. We feel it is developing her imagination.