I'm so proud of him!

Last night, when I went to check on Thomas before going to bed myself, I found one of his smurfs books under his head and his little book light on his nightstand.  When I left him after his story at bedtime, the book was on the nightstand and his book light was in the drawer.  I'd never have guesses that my three year-old would be staying up late to read, but he's obviously trying. 

 

I know he wants to be able to read and spell so bad.  Whenever we're out he reads out letters he sees and guess what they say.  I'm trying to help him as much as I can.  Yesterday, we went to Michael's and Thomas asked what store we were going into.  I said, "The one with the 'M'" to which he correctly pointed to, "that one?"  

I guess instead of pushing him so much with socialization and athletics, I should focus my efforts more on teaching him to read - the others will come eventually, at his own pace.  After all, during gym and swim class he can do what is asked of him but he's usually too busy checking out everyone and everything else to hear the request in the first place.  

He's allegedly good in his zoo class - allegedly because it's a "mommy free" class and his teachers always tell me he's so good.  But in this class he does what he loves - sucking in the entire world around him and the zoo is an amazing place for that! 

Now, the real question - How does a mom with a math background, who can barely read or spell herself (spell check is one of my best friends!), start to teach her son to read?  

This past week he thought he wrote his name on our chalkboard. H-O-T.  "Look Mommy, Thomas"  (he can't quite write the M, A, or S without help yet.)  I explained to him that he actually wrote 'hot' and then I wrote his own name out so he could see what it was supposed to look like.  Well later that week while having lunch with Daddy, Thomas says, "Look, hot!"  Tom and I searched the walls of the chotchkie restaurant we were in and there it was, a big, flaming sign that said HOT.  Since he took that one board experience so well, yesterday I broke out some old flashcards we used to use when he was learning to talk.  They have pictures and the word of the picture right under it.  i.e., a picture of a kite and then K-I-T-E under it.  We went though some and he sounded like quite the little spelling bee champ.  "Bird, B-I-R-D, Bird"  But what do I do other than that and read to him all the time like we already do?

Note:  Apparently, when Tom got home tonight and he went to check on Thomas, the book light was on at the foot of Thomas bed and Tom put it on the night stand.  My story still holds, he's just not old enough to turn the light off yet. =)