Why read?

I'm used to people thinking some of the ways I parent are odd or will screw up my kid or make her spoiled or whatever. Yes, I let her sleep in my bed, and yes, we often get in the bath tub with her (it's so much easier than that damn chair, I swear!), and yes, I let her wear T-shirts that say "George Bush hates you." Take it or leave it, that's just how we're doing things, and it has taken me 4 months to be able to say that without apologizing or explaining WHY. I know it's not the most mainstream way to parent, but it's not like we're living in a mud hut while indoctrinating our kid about the evils of modern society. Although it chokes my inner teen angst just a little to admit it, we are a pretty NORMAL family with a kid.

Which is why I was totally shocked today when a woman I work with asked me why I bother to read to my kid, seeing as she's too young to really sit still or understand the books. Ummm.. is she serious? Her tone and expression as she asked me this were the same I might use if I were asking someone why on earth she had decided to wear a severed animal appendage on a string around her neck: it's simply not something sane people do. I'm not sure exactly why I didn't respond by screaming some passionate defense (instead, I turned back to my work and pretended I hadn't heard what she said), except that I no longer have tolerance for this kind of stupidity and refuse to justify any of the few parenting beliefs I have to someone who is probably never capable of understanding.

Sure, I could give her all the text book reasons that reading to kids is a good idea (we started even before Clementine was born, as did most of the moms I know), but instead I offer these uses for books. May these argue where I cannot.

Books are good when you're hungry and just can't get anyone to give you any milk:

And books are good when you just want to shut the world out OR when you are trying to hide your face from paparazzi (certainly something my future rock star should practice now)


And finally, books are good when you're trying to look busy so that woman with the damn camera will let you have a bath in peace.