J and I have had a bedtime ritual of reading stories to Wildman since he was about one-year-old. Wildman looks forward to it. I can count the number of times we’ve skipped this routine on one hand. We rarely miss this bonding time but life happens and sometimes your son falls asleep on the way home from a family get-together.
The bedtime book count has fluctuated. In the beginning we read one or two board books. He was so squirmy at a year that anything more would have tortured us all! As his interest and patience grew, we increased the number and length of the books. At one point we were up to four full-blown storybooks each night. I admit that it was a little much even though I’m thrilled to see such an interest in reading! Fostering a lifetime love of reading is my primary goal after all. However, an hour-long reading session each night is not what I had in mind. So, we cut back to two stories per night. J gets one and I get one.
Lately, J’s been on repeat with Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer.
The books I read have a little more variety but I have been stuck on Mouse’s First Valentine
and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
At the end of every story I say “The End!” Wildman has recently begun repeating me or beating me to it after the stories. He has the cutest way of saying it though. He shouts “Bee Wend!”
I love bedtime stories!
Adventures of Four 