We are all about doing the things AGAIN and AGAIN that matter, and reading to our kids tops our list of educational, joyful, and impactful! Listen in as Jen and Steph respond to a listener question about whether or not we should encourage our children to read books from the fantasy genre. This thought-provoking question sparked a great discussion that is truly practical.
Books Recommended:
The Narnia Series
The Green Ember Series
Wingfeather Saga
Boxcar Children Books
They're the joyful agains our children shout on the swings, the
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:exhausting agains of cooking and laundry,
and the difficult agains of discipline.
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:So much of what we do
as mothers is on repeat.
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:So what if we woke up with clarity,
knowing which agains we were called
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:to, and went to bed believing we
are faithful in what matters most?
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:We believe God's Word is
the key to untangle from the
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:confusion and overwhelm we feel.
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:Let's look up together to embrace a
motherhood full of freedom and joy.
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:Welcome back to the again, podcast
brought to you by interested ministries.
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:I'm Stephanie Hickox and I'm joined by
Jen Frackman as we talk about why we
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:love books so much and why we find it
so delightful to read to our children.
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:It's truly time that we never regret and
we have some pretty convincing reasons.
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:Of why we think you should be
incorporating reading into your
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:motherhood, whether it's those tiny
little board books or you're at the
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:point of chapter books with your teens.
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:We wholeheartedly believe reading is
a blessing to you and your family.
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:No surprise here, but we talked
so long about the benefits of
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:reading and different books.
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:We've delighted in that we are breaking
this up into two episodes today.
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:You'll be hearing us respond
to a listener question.
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:She asked, how do you feel about
letting your children read fairytales
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:and things in the fantasy genre?
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:Is it appropriate?
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:Should we be encouraging this or not?
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:Jen and I respond to this question,
and then we got into some other
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:benefits that we see of reading.
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:Next week in part two.
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:I'm going to share some more benefits of
reading that you may not have expected.
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:And just what is happening academically,
as you sit down and read your children.
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:And then Jen and I will provide a whole
list of books that have been sweet and
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:innocent and thought provoking and all
the things that we've loved with our kids.
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:So the next time you are looking to buy
some books, maybe at Christmas time.
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:Or you're heading to the library.
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:These can tap your list.
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:Let's get to part one of
that conversation now.
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:Thanks for listening.
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:Another question we had come in
was how we feel about letting
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:our children read fairy tales.
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:And things in that genre.
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:We want to speak to that, but we
also just love reading with our kids.
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:And we want to take this opportunity
to talk about why we think it's
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:so important, why it's not just
for families at homeschool, but
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:to talk about the blessings that
it's brought us with our children.
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:Jen, I know you are always
faithfully prepared with a
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:great list of recommendations.
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:First let's answer that question about
what are your thoughts when you think
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:about is it okay for children to read
fairy tales and pretend stories and to
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:get wrapped up in the fantasy genre?
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:Jen: would say as long as that's not
the only thing that they're reading,
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:I think that it's harmless and it
plays to the child's imagination.
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:Kids are amazing at imagining
things and imaginating.
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:Stephanie: a good verb, yeah.
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:Jen: Kids are amazing at imagining
things, and I think that it
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:can help grow that imagination.
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:And I think that's a wonderful thing,
as long as it is not something that
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:is drawing their heart something like
demonic or something that is taking
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:their hearts away from the Lord.
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:I think it's totally fine for them to
read something about a sweet little
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:fairy tale and how The imagination
can just run wild with that.
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:And I don't see anything wrong with
that, but I also would make sure that's
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:not the only thing that they're reading,
that they're also reading really good
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:stories about true life stories and
even stories that just pull at your
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:heartstrings because of the emotion in
it and just give them a whole bunch of
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:different stories and different genres
and let them just feast on all of the
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:really good literature that's out there.
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:Stephanie: Yes.
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:Oh, I so agree.
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:The first thought that I had was, I
think reading fairy tales actually helps
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:build a delight in and a desire for
the supernatural and the miraculous.
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:I think that
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:Jen: That's really cool.
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:Stephanie: There's like something, God put
something in us because it's real, right?
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:The supernatural is real.
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:Miracles are real.
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:And what is unseen is real often.
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:And there's so much in God's word
that tells us that, we aren't to cling
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:to what is seen, but what is unseen.
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:And I think that there is a part of
fairy tales that preserves that in us.
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:And builds up that hope
I think about Narnia,
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:who doesn't want to open the wardrobe
and enter the land of Narnia?
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:I
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:Jen: I think Narnia and I think of Andrew
Peterson's The Winged Feather Saga.
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:Yeah, absolutely.
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:Such imaginations.
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:Stephanie: And they're, the world
would say that's a childlike thing, but
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:in, but we know he created that whole
series because he was trying to point
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:to realities, spiritual realities.
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:Steward that.
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:Let's give our children a taste this
is pretend about this, but there's
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:something wonderful about Jesus.
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:And he is like this lion.
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:Jen: I love that.
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:Stephanie: We really love
the Green Ember series.
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:SD Smith actually talks a lot about
this because people ask him a lot,
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:is it okay for your books to be like
as gruesome as they are or for there
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:to be evil that children are reading?
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:And he says there's a reality
that we have an enemy.
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:And if we stop showing our children
enemies, then we're going to stop
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:producing heroes is his premise
like we want them to be kids that
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:rise up and have a battle to fight.
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:Jen: Mmm.
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:And I think If you look.
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:At the climate of the culture
that we're raising, we're taking
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:away a lot of that battle.
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:I think they're definitely fighting an
on scene battle, but we're taking away
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:part of the opportunity to be heroic,
and for their character and their virtue
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:to shine, in the name of self-esteem.
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:And that's a whole nother episode.
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:But for me, I think that desire for
the supernatural is real and we can
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:cultivate it and steward it as long as
we're having those good conversations
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:about, okay, what about this was real
and reflective of the Lord and what
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:was just fun to pretend And those.
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:Change as they get older.
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:Yeah.
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:When our family read the Narnia series,
we had a family study guide that
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:went along with it and it was amazing
because some of the parts in the story
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:we maybe didn't pick up on and he
would give the scripture as to what C.
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:S.
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:Lewis was talking about.
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:Referring to in this little passage
that we had read and it just made
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:the whole story come alive and
become so much more personal.
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:And it's one of our favorite books.
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:And it was just a really, it really does.
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:It makes you hunger for God more.
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:And I love that.
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:Anything that's going to do that and
to spark that into your child's heart,
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:I would say is a wonderful thing.
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:Stephanie: The idea of God and that
he always has been and always will be.
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:And it's such an incomprehensible topic.
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:And it just, he's so incredible
to give them some of these little
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:glimpses that make it more tangible
to them, is a gift and helpful.
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:Even if it feels are we just
talking about pretend things here?
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:This question, the the mom also
talked about like Lord of the Rings,
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:what we think about books like that.
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:And I think at the age where you're ready
to read Lord of the Rings, you probably
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:have a pretty well developed understanding
of what reality is and are ready to
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:engage in pretty deep conversations
when you're reading at that level.
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:So that personally doesn't raise
any red flags for me, especially
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:knowing that Tolkien was.
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:basing these as an
allegorical picture of Christ.
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:Jen: I agree.
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:I agree with that.
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:Stephanie: For me growing up, I
was a strong reader, but I desired
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:such innocence I was in a public
school and I saw a lot of my peers
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:having a desire for the world.
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:And that was really hard for me.
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:I was longing for Christian
friends I wanted, To have a
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:pure spirit and a pure heart.
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:A lot of those book characters became
my friends and a safe place for me.
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:I read so much growing up and
that was really probably my
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:favorite pastime growing up.
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:And sometimes I knew I'm reading below my
level, but I just wanted that innocence.
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:It is a great opportunity for our kids
to develop imagination, of course,
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:but I also think that especially if
we're guiding them towards great books
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:and classics and living books, that
there's a real opportunity for innocence
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:in the midst of a world that would
love to push them out of childhood.
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:Mm-Hmm.
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:Jen: Totally.
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:I also think even just as I'm remembering
the wing feather saga, there were
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:a couple different parts in that,
that were like, Oh, is this okay?
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:This is a little scary.
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:But it was interesting because when
I would pause it and we did the audio
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:book because Andrew Peterson does
an amazing job reading it himself.
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:And so it's fabulous.
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:But.
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:Yeah.
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:When I would pause it and be like,
okay, what did you imagine there?
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:What did that look like?
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:Was obviously different for each
kid, but I noticed that the older
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:kids, the details were so much more
intricate and knowledgeable where
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:for the younger ones, it was a
little bit more blurry, I would say.
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:And so it just reminded me that.
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:When reading the story, like their brains
take it to the level that they can handle
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:and that their little minds paint a
little picture of what they can handle
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:with the worldview and the knowledge
and the information that they have.
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:And however, differently with a movie,
if you were to see something that
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:scared them in a movie, it's showing
them and they're able to see things
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:that their brain can't even comprehend.
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:Where with reading the story.
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:And there, there's nothing ridiculously
scary about this, but just a few
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:couple other sensitive parts.
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:But when we read the story, it was so
much more tender and so much more, I
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:feel like softer for their imaginations
than watching something on a movie.
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:I
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:Stephanie: That's a great point
because something might be more
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:developmentally appropriate.
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:To hear the words and the situation, but
to see it might feel much more extreme.
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:Yes.
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:I totally agree with that.
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:It takes me back to childhood
and a safety, there's a
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:security of being read to.
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:There's not much like it.
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:I know my mom Love to read
children's books to us.
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:And I'm so thankful that she did that.
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:And it was pretty silly, but when
I was in college, there were six of
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:us living together and four of us
were elementary education majors.
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:And so sometimes, we'd be doing
a project and we'd have these fun
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:picture books and we would read
them to each other, like we're not
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:your typical college girls, but but.
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:It was fun to enjoy together and there
are picture books that I still love and
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:I, no matter how old I get, I delight
in and there's that shared experience.
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:That is really special with books.
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:Jen: Yep.
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:It's so true.
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:And the nostalgia that it can bring
up in your heart, the memories of it,
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:the warmth, the coziness of it all.
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:Oh, there's just nothing like it.
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:I agree.
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:Stephanie: I want to do things in my
day and in my life that I won't regret.
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:And I have never, ever regretted
reading a single page to my kids.
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:I always walk away from that time
that this was time well spent.
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:This was time where we really connected.
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:This was time where we learned something.
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:This was time where my children
were near to me and I was present
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:with them and everything We
ignored everything else around us.
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:When so much is pulling for our
attention and you can ignore the dishes
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:in the sink, ignore the texts and the
emails And just to know even that this
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:is something that In a world where
people disagree about so much, few
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:people would, I don't know really of
anyone that would say reading isn't a
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:very valuable activity for children.
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:When I look back at my time with my kids,
So many of our great memories are reading,
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:and the seasons where I read to them
the most are the seasons I've delighted
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:in my motherhood the most, probably.
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:Jen: Yeah, for sure.
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:I love that.
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:Stephanie: Okay, Jen, if I may put
you on the spot with this one, I know
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:you feel really passionately about
audiobooks and their validity and you're
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:just so faithful in making sure that
your kids are listening to stories.
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:And can you tell us a
little bit about why?
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:Why you believe that and what you
think the value of audiobooks is.
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:Jen: Yeah, for sure.
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:I do absolutely love having the kids
sit on my lap and reading them a book.
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:So I do love the audio book, but
Oftentimes as my kids are getting older, I
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:will ask them like, do you want me to read
this book or do you want the audio book?
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:And most often lately they're saying me,
which I just still, I can't believe this.
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:I'm like, are you kidding me?
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:These are paid actors like that are
reading this book professionally and
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:you want me, which is really sweet.
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:But anytime that they.
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:Choose to have the audio book.
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:I get super excited just
because it draws us in.
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:And I love that when we listen to the
audio book, if we listen to it ever
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:again, it takes me right back to where
we were the first time we heard it.
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:I can listen to, and I do listen to
audio books and sometimes multiple times
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:especially those ones that just really
are so great at touching those places
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:in your heart that were no one else and
nothing else can touch and reach, and when
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:I'm listening to them, I can think back
like, Oh, I was on, I was running while
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:listening to this certain audio book.
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:I was running and I remember
turning the corner and I was right
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:there when this part happened.
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:When we were listening to Narnia, we at
one of the books, they were going through
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:this water canal in Narnia and we were
going Underneath a bridge in Utah, and
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:it was this massive mountain bridge.
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:And I was like, Oh my
goodness, this is amazing.
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:And so I hear it and I'm like
brought right back there.
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:And I think that is to
me the beauty of it.
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:And also we have a couple of
dyslexic kids in our family.
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:And so reading can come
hard and it's laborious.
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:And Having an audio book read to them,
their comprehension is so much greater
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:because they don't have to decode.
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:They don't have to do
the work of the reading.
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:They can just sit back and their
wonderful, brilliant minds can
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:imagine what the story is saying.
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:And it takes away the labor for them.
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:And I love audio books for that.
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:I love audio books cause
we can do it in the car.
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:I can do it while folding laundry.
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:I can do it while washing dishes.
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:We can listen to it while we pick up.
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:the home together.
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:We can watch it while we have a a TV that
is able to have it screened to my phone.
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:And so we'll put I will put it on
the TV so we can sit in front of
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:the fire and have it playing on
the TV so everyone can hear it and
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:we can have a blanket and snuggle.
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:And it's just, it's the best.
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:It's so wonderful.
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:So I do like that.
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:Also, I like it for Anytime I want to
get through a book quickly I will often,
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:cause I just, I want to get as much
information into my mind as possible.
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:And so there's all these books that
I want to read and I can't, I don't
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:have time, but I can put a book in
and I can listen to it faster on
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:an audio book than I can read it.
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:And so I can put it on two speed
and get through it quicker,
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:but I'm still comprehending and
I'm still writing notes down.
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:My favorite is to buy the actual physical
book and then rent it from the library,
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:listening to the audio so that I can
still underline and keep the quotes and
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:things that I like because I like to make
them my own and I like to remember them.
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:So that's how I typically end up doing
this, but Yeah, I, and you can re listen
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:to books quicker because you've already
listened to it, but you might want to just
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:be reminded wait, what was that one part?
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:How did they say this?
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:Or especially if it's a book about,
something educational or teaching
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:myself something it's quick and
easy to just do it on a quick
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:speed and get through it fast.
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:Stephanie: Okay.
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:Those are all really great reasons.
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:I know you're very visual, but I'm
wondering, are you an auditory learner?
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:Jen: I, Yeah, that's a good question.
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:I have to, I am visual learner, but I
have to tell myself it, and then it comes.
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:So I see it,
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:Stephanie: Huh.
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:Jen: but it doesn't register
to me until I say it to myself.
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:So I am actually an audio
or an audible learner, but.
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:Seeing it and hearing myself say
it is how I learn and I don't
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:know, I have my own category.
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:I don't know.
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:I'm weird.
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:Stephanie: No, that's,
we're all a blend of it.
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:It's funny cause I remember.
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:So much of what I hear very easily,
but for me to learn, I feel like I
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:often have to see it and see the words.
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:And I realized, but okay, I can listen
to podcasts and nonfiction books
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:very easily, but I find when I put on
fiction books, I, my mind drifts a lot.
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:And I think for me, It triggers
like, Oh, they're in a field.
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:Once I was in a field and I just, it's
really it is harder for me to focus.
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:I think I just feel Oh,
this is like free time.
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:And I let, Go a little bit.
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:And I, so I haven't pushed into
audio books as much for my kids.
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:And I'm wondering if I'm adapting because
for me, I feel like, Oh I don't actually
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:know what that chapter was about.
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:So I bet they don't.
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:No, it doesn't happen for like a
whole chapter, but sometimes I'll
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:be like, wait, what just happened?
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:And essentially if I'm
driving or something And,
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:Jen: I can get wrapped up in the story
that I know more about what's happening
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:than things happening around me.
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:Like it is, I am all in,
what helps with this though?
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:I do have to say.
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:While you're training your kids
to understand audiobooks, this is
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:what I did when they were really
little and it has helped so much.
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:I make a storyboard.
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:So I take a blank piece of paper
and I draw horizontal lines.
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:I put it Portrait.
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:No.
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:Landscape.
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:I put it landscape.
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:And I draw horizontal lines across it
and then some vertical lines as well.
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:And so I have these large squares
and I'll put the title of the book
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:on the top and in each little square
it represents something in the story.
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:And so the kids, when they
were little, I'd be like, draw
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:something that you're hearing.
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:And so maybe it was a little
horse that they were hearing.
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:Maybe it was this little cottage of where
they lived in the wing feather saga.
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:But we've done that.
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:And then the beauty of it is then
I would take all of those papers at
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:the end of the book and I would put
them together and we'd have this
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:beautiful little Like picture book of
the audio book that they just read.
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:And they could tell me exactly what
happened just by looking at that picture.
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:So it keeps their mind focused on
what they're reading, but it's also a
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:reminder of Oh yeah, we read that book.
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:And I remember that part.
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:I remember in the railroad,
what is the railroad?
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:The
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:Stephanie: The Boxcar Children.
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:Jen: It's not railroad.
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:The boxcar.
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:Thank you.
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:Stephanie: Yeah.
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:Jen: Yes.
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:Stephanie: They're railroad Rascals.
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:. That's a new idea.
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:Jen: The boxcar children.
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:When Benny gets the little cup and
it's chipped and it's a little cup and
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:that's his cup that he drinks out of.
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:We have, I have a drawing of
one of my kids drawing that
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:cup and It's just so sweet.
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:So yeah, maybe if you sit down and you
just draw and let your mind think about
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:what's going on if you get your hands
busy, sometimes you can listen better,
369
:but I think it is just a trained skill.
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:Stephanie: Sure.
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:Recently I was playing an audiobook for
them and we were all drawing, we weren't
372
:drawing what was in the story, we were
drawing animals and things Praxinger CC
373
:Fine Arts Skills, and it was helpful,
but it's interesting because I feel like,
374
:because I'm so used to reading to my kids,
And we've done that so much that I put on
375
:the audio book because I can't do it then.
376
:And I have to be like
doing something else.
377
:So then it yeah, it
378
:Jen: It takes the magic out
of it a little bit more.
379
:You know what?
380
:This is how I drew my kids in as well.
381
:So they would be coloring I would find
one of the most exciting audio books that
382
:I was just so ready to start with them.
383
:And I would make a big deal out
of it when they were little.
384
:And I'd be like, okay.
385
:Okay.
386
:Tonight at 5 30 after dinner.
387
:I want you to go get your jammies on.
388
:I want you to grab your favorite blankie.
389
:I have a special snack for you and
we're going to either one, if it's
390
:in the winter, we're going to snuggle
up by the fire and we're going to
391
:listen to this together and we're
going to have this snack by the fire.
392
:If it's not in the winter and they don't
want to sit by the fire, we would sit
393
:around the table and I'd make tea and
we would have all the paint supplies
394
:out and I would We would listen to the
audiobook and we would have tea and a
395
:snack of some sort and we would just
paint and I can't tell you how many
396
:times we would do this and we would
go for an hour and they'd be like, Oh
397
:my goodness we were here for an hour.
398
:It felt like 10 minutes.
399
:No, mommy, don't shut it off.
400
:Don't shut it off.
401
:And those are some of my most favorite
memories and it aches my heart to not have
402
:the time now that they're in high school
and middle school to do that as often.
403
:But I'm so grateful that I did it
when they were little like that.
404
:And now, Actually, one of my sons is in
football, and one thing that we mentioned
405
:just recently that we're excited to do
once football is done is to listen to
406
:an audiobook in the evening as a family.
407
:And I'm like, yes!
408
:They still want it, they still want that
you better bet I'm going to make that
409
:one a super special awesome snack that
410
:Stephanie: Yeah,
411
:Jen: yes, we're going to linger
here for a while and just enjoy
412
:the presence and the beauty of the
story and the time together there.
413
:Stephanie: that's funny because as I'm
like thinking about the times that I
414
:did enjoy listening to an audiobook, it
was like we were painting together or,
415
:it's like focused but it's not engaging
your mind quite as much I remember when
416
:my son went on his first winter retreat
with the youth group and I just was like
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:determined like no matter what happens
I will give him a peaceful sendoff.
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:We are having the car packed at lunch
and then that afternoon like I just want
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:it to be peace and joy in our home so he
doesn't have any stress and so we painted
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:together and we listened to an audiobook
and I just felt thank you lord like
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:that was such a A protected way, right?
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:To have this send off because I feel like
if you get everybody's mouths going, you
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:never know where the, where it's gonna
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:Jen: Yeah.
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:Exactly.
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:That's sweet.
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:Stephanie: So much research about
why reading is so beneficial, but you
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:could think about wanting to expose our
children to different cultures and to
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:take them to different points in history.
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:That's so important to teach our kids
that there was so much before you arrived
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:on the scene and there is so much going
on right now that is not about you.
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:We it's just, it's very easy to be self
centered and egocentric and if we can
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:teach our kids, there are, this many
countries in the world, there are so many
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:cultures, there are so many languages, And
the world has been going for thousands of
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:years and before you, and it's important
that we get an understanding of that.
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:So they realize they're
so loved by the Lord.
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:They're so loved by us, but
they are a tiny piece of the
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:picture that God is doing.
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:Yes.
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:Jen: Yes.
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:I think also the beauty of story is that
things come up that you really can't
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:orchestrate in a day an ordinary day,
but when you can read the story about
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:it and you can have the discussions
and be like What would you do if
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:you were in a situation like that?
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:How would you handle that, or how do you
think she felt when that happened to her?
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:And having those discussions, the
kid doesn't have to experience it
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:themselves to be able to build the
empathy and the sympathy and the
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:knowledge and wisdom, and to glean from
that story, whatever they can in that.
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:And so using stories as a teaching
tool along life is a beautiful way
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:of exposing them to things without.
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:Tormenting them by the exposure,
being able to watch someone else go
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:through it and to talk about it with
your parent is a beautiful thing.
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:Stephanie: Certainly.
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:Yep.
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:So many opportunities come up and
opportunities to talk about character
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:and you have good choices for sure.
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:And it's neat to be, neat to see the
connections that the Lord provides even
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:sometimes, it's if we're reading scripture
and then we're reading a read aloud
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:and to see a connection and It cements
it and you're like, that's so cool.
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:Yeah, to see yeah, we had one of
them today and it was just, it wasn't
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:planned by me and I love to see the
things woven together and you know
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:that they're going to be such a
much more powerful lesson that way.
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:Jen: I love it.
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:Stephanie: We know you're busy,
Mama, so we are truly grateful you
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:joined us for this episode of Again.
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:If you're looking for more information
about building your home on the
467
:foundation of Jesus Christ, head to www.
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:EntrustedMinistries.
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:com to learn more about our study for
moms, Entrusted with a Child's Heart.
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:This scripture saturated study
has blessed families around the
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:world, and we want it for you, too.
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:Before you go, I want to pray
this benediction over you
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:from 2 Thessalonians 1, 11 12.
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:We're rooting for you.
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:To this end, we always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of His
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:calling, and may fulfill every resolve
for good and every work of faith by
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:His power, so that the name of our Lord
Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in
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:Him, according to the grace of our God.
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:And the Lord Jesus Christ.
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:Amen.
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:Until we meet again.