Reading with your kids promotes emotional bonding

Dear Nanay,

I completely agree with your advocacy of promoting reading especially among our youth. I grew up in a house full of books and I have nothing but fond memories of curling up with my parents for them to read me a good book. Reading with your children not only promotes their education but your emotional bonding as well.

I want to help promote reading to children. But I am just a regular person with a regular job. I do not have much to contribute and I frankly also do not have too much time to spare for volunteer work.

What can a regular person like me do to help promote reading? — Grace

Dear Grace,

Contrary to what you think, there is plenty a “regular” person can do to help promote reading among our youth. Just by encouraging your children to read, you are already promoting reading. Do not forget, your children also have friends. And if they enjoy a particular book so much that they get their friends to read it also, that is already promoting reading.

There are also ways you can help other underprivileged children develop a love of reading. Just by donating your children’s old books to schools and libraries or by volunteering your time to do readings, you are already doing your part in contributing to the promotion of reading.

A lot of people may think that their contribution to a charity or cause needs to be a big amount to make an impact. I disagree. I think that no donation of time or resources is ever too small. The need is so great that every little bit helps. So do not downplay what you can do and think that it will not make a difference … because it will.

Sincerely,

Nanay

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Dear Nanay,

I have been a faithful follower of your column these past years and I noticed that the topic of education and reading come up regularly.

You said in last week’s column that “we as parents and grandparents owe our children the best education we can give them — both academic and real life.” 

To that I say, “absolutely true!”

We must give our children all the tools they might need. We must give our children every advantage we can give them. Otherwise how will they succeed? Of course, we as parents can only do so much and that ultimately it is up to our children to find their own future. But we have to give them the best tools we can. How can they go to war with no weapons? It is not about guaranteeing they succeed but about us giving them the best chance of success. — Mylene C.

Dear Nanay,

I want to congratulate you for your column. It is a breath of fresh air in the midst of so much hard reading in our daily newspapers nowadays. My only wish in this new year is that people read the things you write.

Indeed, “reading makes a full mind.” In the same issue of STAR, I read of Manny Pacquiao saying, “The words of the Bible can change a man.” Also in this issue, beauty queen Venus Raj observed that the bottom line on why the world seems more beautiful during this season is “we celebrate Jesus Christ who came to the world to save us.”

Such words and your column help to make a full mind. — DR. NENE RAMIENTOS, chaplain, The Master’s Prayer Breakfast Fellowship Cosmopolitan Church, Manila

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If you have a question, e-mail us at asknanay@nationalbookstore.com.phor just drop your letter at drop boxes in all National Book Store branches nationwide.