{"id":5015,"date":"2015-02-19T12:52:23","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T17:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=5015"},"modified":"2023-04-18T13:30:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T17:30:20","slug":"why-i-love-my-husband-for-reading-at-bedtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/why-i-love-my-husband-for-reading-at-bedtime\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Love My Husband for Reading at Bedtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re nine years into marriage, and five into parenthood. My husband\u2019s wearing a straw cowboy hat from his dress-up collection and reading to our daughters in a squeaky princess voice. They\u2019re giggling madly. (So am I, and I\u2019m lying on the couch in the living room.)<\/p>\n

Jeff started reading to our kids enthusiastically as soon as they could sit in his lap. Well, the youngest sat on his lap; the oldest preferred moving around. She\u2019d listen while performing Cirque du Soleil-ish contortions<\/a> on the floor.<\/p>\n

\"Daddy-Bedtime\"<\/p>\n

Together they\u2019ve been through so many adventures. Through books, my husband introduced my girls to mice who helped them master the potty and dinosaurs who taught them manners. They\u2019ve shared in the exploits of dog-stealing siblings and goblin-attacking Rainbow Fairies.<\/p>\n

Jeff picks a favorite book. \u201cGo ahead, quiz me,\u201d he grins. \u201cI can recite Chickens to the Rescue<\/em><\/a> from memory.\u201d Meanwhile, our girls peruse their options from\u00a0the basket of library books we have and shelf of books we own. Our book-selection ritual takes too long, but it\u2019s very important. Each girl chooses what she likes to read. Three books. Three readers. It works.<\/p>\n

My youngest daughter, a toddler clad in penguin pajamas, stretches out on top of Jeff\u2019s back, her hair still wet from the bath. Jeff lies on his stomach reading out loud. She looks over his shoulder at the pictures. This is their new favorite book \u2014 fresh from the library\u2019s summer-reading program \u2014 called Serious Farm<\/em><\/a>. Her sister listens a few feet away. Tonight she\u2019s in an upside-down wheelbarrow position. (I think she takes after her dad with the wiggles.) If the girls are lucky, daddy will tell them a \u201csilly story\u201d after reading their books \u2014 often a mash-up of a story they just read. (My personal favorite is \u201cCindersmella and the Stinky Chickens.\u201d)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m his biggest fan. Is there anything sexier than this guy, I wonder? A dad who drops everything at night to spend quality time with his kids?<\/p>\n

Eight years pass, and the picture books turn into a shared chapter book. The kids might be older and taller now, but they are just as interested in bedtime stories as they were when they were little. These days, they\u2019ll often color while Jeff reads a few chapters, or they\u2019ll arrange LEGOs or just lie next to him and stare at the ceiling. That is, until I hear their irritated voices: \u201cDaaaad. Wake up! You stopped reading again!\u201d<\/p>\n

I laugh. When he\u2019s tired, Jeff can fall asleep in the middle of a sentence \u2014 a special dad skill I know my kids and I will never forget. (We won\u2019t let him forget, either.)<\/p>\n

Each year, the time with our kids flies more swiftly. Busy schedules intervene and quality moments with them become increasingly rare. This is especially true for their dad \u2014 and, I suspect, many dads. I\u2019m beyond grateful that my husband is able to set aside time every evening \u2014 to put down the phone, no distractions allowed \u2014 and be fully present for our kids, all three focused on the same book, exploring the same story together. Of course, I love that I get a break. But I love even more that my kids get this precious time with their dad.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen over the years how this strengthens their relationship. \u201cIt may sound clich\u00e9d,\u201d my husband explains when I ask why he reads to our children. \u201cBut I\u2019ve always believed you spell love T-I-M-E. That\u2019s why I drop everything at bedtime so I can read to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

His motivation is altruistic. It\u2019s a gift for the kids, one they\u2019ll appreciate even more when they\u2019re adults. Watching them share stories, I agree that this is love. Time. Reading. Together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there anything sexier than a guy who spends quality storytime with his kids? A dad who drops everything at night to spend quality time with his kids?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[81,85,132,301,324],"coauthors":[13],"class_list":["post-5015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-just-for-fun","tag-reading-memories","tag-family","tag-bedtime","tag-read-aloud","tag-dads"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Love My Husband for Reading at Bedtime | Brightly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is there anything sexier than a guy who spends quality storytime with his kids? A dad who drops everything at night to spend quality time with his kids?\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/why-i-love-my-husband-for-reading-at-bedtime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why I Love My Husband for Reading at Bedtime | Brightly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is there anything sexier than a guy who spends quality storytime with his kids? 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