by Cindy C Bennett<\/p>\n
Reading books to your children at bedtime is a long-standing important tradition. I think the best way to introduce your children to the love of literature is to read to them from the day they are born.<\/p>\n
As a writer, I'm constantly making up stories in my head. One night, when my sons were little, I was tucking them in and realized we'd forgotten to choose a book. Knowing that if I let them out of bed to choose one, it'd be another half hour before I got them back into<\/em> bed, I decided instead to tell them a story.<\/p> I began telling them a story of two brothers and their adventures with a dragon. Of course the stars of the story shared names with my sons. They loved it! Every night after that, they wanted more, and we continued to build on the same story. I didn't realize what an impact my making up stories rather than just reading them was having on the boys until a few years ago.<\/p>\n My sons, now grown, were excited when I published my first book. Their only question was how soon I was going to write and publish the story I'd made up for them years ago. I had no idea they even remembered the story, but they do, and they want it in print.<\/p>\n I'm so glad I took the time to do something a little outside the box, something that all these years later my children remember and cherish. Something as simple as making up a story for them, and spending the time to share it with them.<\/p>\n Having story time every night with your children can be an important and memorable tradition, one with lasting effects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19826,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","fbia_status":""},"categories":[626,28115],"tags":[34,7,1508,179],"yoast_head":"\n