As a substitute teacher in the middle and high school levels, I see so many students who have poor reading skills, and so many more who don't enjoy reading. I have always had such a love for reading, this is difficult for me to fathom. Since her birth, I have read to my daughter. She is almost four, and always wants us to read to her now. The fact that she loves to read already gives me hope that she will continue to love it as she gets older. Her vocabulary is much higher than average for her age, she understands many concepts that you wouldn't expect her to, and she has a very active imagination. All can be attributed to being read to. In this age of video games, IPODS, etc, we need to work harder to encourage a love for reading in our kids. That is why I vow to read to my daughter every day for at least twenty minutes. And soon, we will read together, and then, she will read to me!

The picture is my daughter, Brigid, with my mother, Angela. She was more than instrumental in leading me to love reading. And one of her favorite things to do now is read to her granddaughter.