An Open Letter to My Grandchildren on the Benefits of Reading
Dear Sophie, Charlie, Lucy, Benjy, Bobbie, Levi and Remi;
One of my favorite activities, beginning at age seven, was sulking.
I Became A World-Class Sulker
In case you aren’t’ familiar with the term SULKING, the definition of sulking is to be silent, morose and bad-tempered -out of annoyance or disappointment. Think of it as having a resentful attitude.
I indulged in sulking quite often – beginning around the age of eight and intensifying exponentially through my teenage years.
I sulked regularly – it was a way of putting some distance between myself and the person irritating me – mostly my mom, but sometimes my little brother or my best friend.
When sulking, I removed myself. I went off by myself. Thus, I was forced to figure out how to occupy myself when in my self-imposed bubble of solitude. I had to do something that got my mind directly off what was bothering me – something that provided me with a pause - a time to cool off and relax – take a break, so to speak.
Maybe you do that already with video games Facetime, Tik Tok, Instgram or surfing the internet.
I didn’t have those diversions growing up, so I turned to flopping down on my bed with a good book.
Sulking was the perfect opportunity to read.
And What Did Reading Do For Me?
Reading helped me make sense of the world.
When I read Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, I was able to begin to grasp the enormity of what she faced as an adolescent – making my bad mood over my mother’s rules about bedtime pale in comparison to her challenges of living in a confined attic, unable to go to school or play outside, under the constant threat of being discovered, torn from her family and sent to a concentration camp.
When I read about amateur sleuth Nancy Drew in The Hidden Staircase, I began to understand how exciting life can be when you embark on an adventure. And how your sense of self deepens when you are able to do something you like well.
I will admit, your fathers and uncles didn’t read as much as I would have liked during their formative years but here are some of their favorites:
The Goosebump Books
The Giver Tuck Everlasting
Read what interests you
All I read for years in junior high were mushy romances like Seventeenth Summer, while one of my best friends, Libby Duszynat (of blessed memory), was reading more high-brow books like Miracle at Carville - about leprosy.
I taught her how to flirt with her cool next-door neighbor and she taught me there was more to life than gazing longingly at Marvin Kaplan in Math class. We learned from each other.
Benefits of Reading
Reading increases your general knowledge – when I read about my ancestors who lived in tenements, without running water, and electricity, I felt renewed gratitude for the house I lived in, my driveway where I played hop scotch and the basement where I played monopoly on a card table in the corner of the rec room.
And I gained immense respect for my Eastern European great grandparents who had it so much tougher than I did.
Fiction taught me about how people think and interact with each other. Non-fiction taught me about how other people – similar and not similar to me – learn how to navigate life’s challenges and seize opportunities.
So here’s my suggestion:
Put down your electronic wonders and pick up a book.
Why?
It expands your vocabulary because you will come across words you have never heard
It improves your writing skills and your grammar
It enhances your imagination
It will keep you occupied during the pandemic
Books are easily accessible and reasonably priced
And reading is something you can do on your own.
All the above are reasons that will give your mom and dad (and grandparents) immense pleasure.
So What’s In It For YOU?
Reading is fun and entertaining. Reading allows you to experience the vastness of the world from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace and convenience.
It doesn’t matter what genre you gravitate to. Just Read.
Find a designated space for your books and start your own collection. Just like I have all over my house.
Take pride in yourself as your bookshelves fill up. And maybe, just maybe, you will pass those prized volumes down to your own children one day.
Until then, I will continue to send you books.
Love,
Nana
This article was originally published on Iris Ruth Pastor's website and has been republished with permission.
About the Author;
Iris Ruth Pastor has published more than 800 columns on everything from bad hair days and unruly children to reinvention after the nest empties in newspapers and magazines. She is an author and her most recent book, The Secret Life of the Weight-Obsessed Woman deals with her personal journey of overcoming addiction - specifically an eating disorder. She has been featured on NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, and many others. You can find out more about Iris on her website.
