READING by far has been the most nurturing activity I share with my children. As a young mother of two children whose attention quickly shifted from one object and activity to another, I enjoyed how reading to them brought the three of us together to focus on one journey of words and pictures.
We sat in bed reading every night until they were 11 and 13 years old. I saw to it that there would be some stories left for the next night?s reading. That would make them look forward to the next session, in anticipation of what would happen next.
More than the joy of reading to my children, it excited me to discover these two wonderful persons day by day. They came into my life in an instant, and I found myself not only responsible for raising healthy and sound individuals but privileged to love them as best I could.
The storybooks we read opened our minds to many events, places, wonders and characters. We shared what each of us would do, given the situation in the stories. It was great fun discovering how we would react, and the sharing led us from one point to another. I was living my children; they were discovering Mom. And the love we shared grew each day.
Soon enough, as these jewels started picking their own reading materials and reading on their own, it was the exchange of knowledge among us, current events and latest novels that marked our interaction. They chose bookstores over toy stores.
They were using big words, and could speak with wit. I became more aware of choosing the right words for just the right time.
I grew up along with my children because of our reading together. The value of those voyages through books has been immeasurable. The habit anchored my relationship with my children in a most fulfilling way.
Seeing similar dynamics in the homes of the seafarers? families, whom I have worked for over the last 30 years, and realizing that bonds between parents and children must be reinforced, it seems so right to foster the reading habit. There is no need to overemphasize its benefits.
A parent who reads to his child will know these blessings in his heart as he watches his child grow many times over.
In the context of the one-parent family or the distant parent setup, it has become our fervent desire to see the reading habit infecting seafarers? households.
Village of readers
Our 476 families at the Seamen?s Village in Cavite are taking their cue from the African proverb modified, ?It takes a child to raise a village.? In this case, a village of readers. Embracing the value of quality time through reading together is an inspiring start.
At any one time for the 230,000 Filipino seafarers on ships worldwide, there are around a million children with their mothers in the home. Should the mother also be away, a guardian stands in her place. Reading together provides common ground, which encourages communication and expression.
Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation Inc., in cooperation with the Associated Marine Officers? and Seamen?s Union of the Philippines, Philippine Transport and General Workers Organization, International Transport and General Workers Organization, International Transport Federation, has spearheaded a reading advocacy for families of seafarers, especially their children.
We believe that a reading child will have a better understanding of the world and human condition.
Children who read will be prepared for better relationships with their families and communities. They develop deep values, including an appreciation for the work that their seafaring parents do.
We concede that the time has come to pay close attention to the seafarers? children. We know that a reading adult at home can produce a reading child.
The reading adult must be encouraged to read to the child for 20 minutes at bedtime each day. Studies show that the bond between parents and children who practice this is remarkable.
The author is president of Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation Inc. (GASFI). The foundation (www.gasfi.com) has established seven libraries with an initial 5,000 books in each at the Seamen?s Center-Intramuros; Seamen?s Hospital-Cebu City; Seamen?s Hospital-Iloilo City and Davao City; Saint Pancras Academy at Seamen?s Village in Dasmariñas, Cavite; Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific in Mariveles, Bataan; and Gig Headquarters at the Gregorian Building on Taft Avenue.
With support coming from Books Across the Seas and Brothers Brother Foundation of Pittsburgh, they hold weekly Read Aloud sessions simultaneously in all Gasfi libraries.
