Story time can go one of three ways in our house:
1) Our daughter sits nicely and listens, sometimes helping turn the pages;
2) Our daughter has no interest in reading books and squirms until we give up; or
3) Our daughter does everything she can to rip the books out of our hands.
Out of the seemingly thousands of books our daughter received as gifts when she was born, she did not receive any cloth or plastic books. Every book we own is cardboard or paper. This is fine and dandy when my husband or I are holding the books, but when she holds them, it’s a different story.
I allow her to hold the cardboard books and page through them. She enjoys it, and the books are sturdy enough that they can hold up under her “gentle” hands. However, I do not permit her to chew on them.
I recently left her with family members while I ran some errands. When I came home, I was dismayed to find her squeezing one of the paper books in her hands. It was a book we had just gotten, and she was destroying it. The pages were crinkled, almost ripped. When I took it away from her, someone said, “Better get used to it. You can’t expect books to stay nice with children in the house.”
I beg to differ.
Just because a person is little doesn’t mean they can ruin everything they come into contact with. Just because something is designated as a baby book doesn’t mean the baby has to be allowed to hold and chew on it.
I responded with, “She isn’t allowed to hold books like that.” I’m sure some eye-rolling went on, and you readers may also be rolling your eyes.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a person who thinks my house will remain in pristine condition even after having kids (as if it were in pristine condition to begin with). I know that kids make messes, spill drinks, track mud in the house, and knock breakables onto the floor. I know furniture gets worn out and clothes get ripped or stained. I do not, however, think that children should be purposely handed items that are not developmentally appropriate for them to hold (in this case, handing a paper book to a 9-month-old).
What’s your approach to books?