Hey Mama Monday: Mama, It’s Ok to Have a Late Reader

Half of my children were early readers, and half were late readers. There were struggles that we pushed through. Some tears were dried. But in the end, with consistent day-by-day help and encouragement, they are all good readers now. One needed vision help; one needed help for dyslexia—some needed more time. We read aloud, listened to audio books, had the children read aloud to me, and made progress in due time.

Dianne Craft answers the questions of what to think when reading doesn’t start easily. Specifically, if you wait, will it be too late? Here is an excerpt:

“My son is 7 ½ and isn’t reading yet. It was so easy for my other children! Should I wait and let him grow into it, or is something else going on?” – Concerned homeschooling parent

What if your child is the same age as your other children were when they were eagerly reading but is either not interested in learning to read or is having great difficulty learning to read? Do you panic? Do you have this child tested? Do you wait? Will the reading just “click” at some point if you wait long enough? How does a mother know if this is a “maturity issue” or if this difficulty is a sign of a learning disability? . . . These are the “red flags” I look for in a seven-and-a-half-year-old who is either avoiding or struggling with reading. Click here to read the rest.

The most important reason we learn to read is to understand and obey God’s Word. That is our goal in learning to read and our goal for all of life as we obediently keep our children Home Where They Belong.

 “And he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God” Deuteronomy 17:19.

Speaking of reading struggles, I will be speaking at the SCOPE Conference  June 7-8 on Reading Struggles and Overcoming Obstacles. I would love to see my CA friends there! Also coming up in June, my daughter, Hannah Wuehler, will be taking a group of high school and college-aged students on a West Coast pro-life tour. If you have young adults who would like to be trained in Biblical ethics, apologetics, and pro-life evangelism, this would be a great opportunity for them. Space is limited so email Hannah soon at info@ProjectTruth.org for more information.

Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor and Director of Production here at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She would say she is a very ordinary homeschool mom–with one exception: she has an extra-ordinary God Who provides all she needs for life and homeschooling. She has eight children aged 11 to 29. Deborah’s mission is this: to point other homeschoolers to the Lord in all they do, think, and feel—and to confirm that they, too, can find everything they need for life, godliness–and homeschooling–in their knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3, 4).