READ TO YOUR CHILDREN! I challenge every mother—whether you’re a homeschooler or not—to read to your children every single day. Reading together will transform not only your child’s education and knowledge, but his relationships—especially the one he has with you. I think of the quote by Dave Eggers, who wrote: “Books have a unique way of stopping time in a particular moment and saying: ‘Let’s not forget this.’” And for my own children, I want that time to stop. I want them to hold that memory like a beautiful portrait in their minds forever—the shared laugh, the shared love, the shared journey into another world through story… or through the discovery of the microcosmic universe living in the biome of our backyard. When you read with your child, the memories stick, because they are tied to a constellation of meaning and emotion. I still remember my father reading to our family—my siblings and me—almost daily. Much of what he read I didn’t even understand. A great deal of it has been forgotten. But what has not been forgotten is the feeling. The experience. The emotions. The laughter. The tears. And somehow, even now, much of the knowledge has stayed—because it was anchored to those deeply treasured emotions in the quiet recesses of my mind. So read with your children.