Reading

The other day, this is what I found my girls doing during some free time (sorry, the picture's not the greatest).  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it was borderline miraculous.  It's funny because I've heard that it's easier to teach girls how to potty train and how to read than it is boys.  In my life, both of those scenarios have not played out as they're "supposed to."  Whereas my boys have been very easy to teach and eager to read, my girls have both been reluctant readers. 

My husband and I recently had a discussion about this.  He asked me, "Have you ever wondered why our girls have struggled and our boys have caught on easier?"  I told him that I think about it all the time!!  My husband just wanted to make sure that we weren't setting a precident that boys are expected to be more intelligent than girls or something like that.  A valid concern, but after some thought I really didn't think that was what was happening. 

I will say that my girls have challenged me more so than my boys.  Maybe it's the mother/daughter relationship??  One daughter has had some physical learning challenges as well, which doesn't help.  My oldest boy simply just caught on quickly.  My second boy (6) has decided recently that he wants to do everything his older brother does.  EVERYTHING!  If JW is shooting hoops, so is JL.  If JW is reading, so is JL.  Because JW plays the piano, JL is determined to learn as well. 

I don't know why my girls have had a harder time than my boys.  It really could just be that my girls are late bloomers . . . and that is okay!  I do think boys and girls do learn differently and maybe my style of teaching fits better with my boys than my girls.  This is something I will ponder for awhile.  But for now, I will enjoy the moments that I do "catch" them reading!  :-)