My Mother’s Voice

My Mother's Voice

By

Izak Last

When I was a child my parents both read to me on a regular basis. I am thankful that they took the time to do so, it certainly has helped my cognitive abilities in nearly immeasurable ways. Today, I am an avid reader, devouring fiction and non-fiction titles alike. I have a healthy appetite for literature that includes classics, sci-fi, fantasy, and even young adult novels and children’s books. I attribute my interest in such a wide range of books to my mother who kept me interested in reading as I entered my teens and began to discover more complicated and involved works.

I have my mother to thank for another gift she gave me through reading: her reading voice. Today, every time I hear her read aloud, I know that her voice played a very special role, not only in my childhood but in my mind’s journey from infant to adult. When I hear my mother read aloud I hear my own reading voice echoing back through all the hours she spent reading to me over the years. The timing of her words, the emphasis placed on certain syllables, and the pauses she places in her sentences are all elements that show through in my voice.

Reading to my son:

I also have a sense that the way that I view and understand the world was directly influenced by the hours of reading my mother gave me, a cherished gift. Also, the titles she selected for me had a profound influence on the knowledge I would attain as a child and young adult. As a simple example of this I point to the Tintin series by Hergé In this series of comic style novels, the adventurer Tintin travels around the world solving mysteries and fighting bad guys. I learned a lot about geography and the world in general through the pages of these incredible books. I must have read each one no less than ten times, always enjoying new little hidden treasures along the way.

Tintin book covers:

The wonderful thing about reading to a child is that they inherit things from you that, although seemingly intangible, are incredibly important. The love of reading, a voice of their own, a unique perspective on the world are some of the many benefits that come with reading to your children. As I read to my son and imagine reading to my future children, I know that their grandmother’s voice is reaching down to them through me. Although she may not have intended to give her grandchildren her voice, she certainly meant to help me find mine. In doing so, she also made sure that reading would be a part of her family line for generations to come.

My son preparing to hear his mother read him a story.

Will her voice become his own?

What did your parents read to you? Are your reading habits, voice, and world view influenced by it?