The Story Girl

As I said, we began Em’s bedtime routine tonight, and I had one of those out-of-parent experiences; it’s kind of like an out-of-body experience, except that I’m looking down at myself from above saying, this is what I always imagined being a mom would be like. And specifically, this is what I always dreamed having a daughter would be like. Reading my favorite novels to her, hopefully instilling in her a love of books and maybe even the love for some of the same books as me. Watching her read some of my favorite stories and about some of my favorite characters is a stage I cannot wait for.

Just like with Jax, we are reading novels to Em until she is old enough to protest. Mostly because we can only read those darn board books so often until we go crazy. I read them all day, we read them to put Jax to bed; I simply can’t read them anymore. I have them memorized! So we decided to read classic children’s stories to our kids until they are old enough to say, “No,” and squirm off our laps in search of Goodnight Moon or the like. We read a collection of fairy tales to Jax, as well as Winnie the Pooh, The Little Prince, Peter Pan, The Story of King Arthur, and we were halfway through Tom Sawyer when he outgrew the tradition. We picked little boy books and I loved reading to him and hearing JDubbs read, too.

Now, with Em, I’m so excited to get to share some of my favorite stories with her. I had a hard time choosing which book to read first, but then I went to a used book sale in Quechee and came across The Story Girl. by L.M. Montgomery for fifty cents. I couldn’t believe my luck. I can't express how much I loved that book! It was my all-time favorite when I was a girl—anyone who is my age and loved the Disney channel probably remembers the show Avonlea, which is loosely based on the characters. Montgomery is famous for having written Anne of Green Gables and its sequels; this book is very similar, with different characters. Oh, how I loved this book, and tonight, while JDubbs was putting Jax down, I started reading it to my daughter. That was heaven to me. It’s the first in what I hope to be a million perfect moments in my relationship with Em. Even if she hates to read later and never wants to read Matilda or Pride and Prejudice, at least I’ll have these memories of reading aloud to her when she was just a baby. I hope it instills a love of reading in her. I hope both my children share that passion with me. But if not, I did my best, and have the memories to prove it.