KLEPTOMANIAC! READERS ARE LEADERS. By Yorbin Wayo

My sister in-law and her sister were having a conversation one day and when one of them mentioned the word ‘Klepto—’ my little nephew completed the word, ‘—maniac’. Of course they were all shocked that he knew the word.

“Where did you learn that word from?” his mother asked.

“It’s Tintin that said it,” he replied.

He was three at the time. Recently, he asked what molten magma. Frankly, I was speechless for a second. I didn’t even know he knew what a volcano was.

Children learn virtually anything you throw at them. I remember my mum using words that seemed kind of big for our age when we were younger. Being an English teacher, she had a thousand and one such words. We would ask what the word meant, she would explain and it would stick. If you want your child to learn certain things, don’t assume that your child will learn it all in school or Sunday/Sabbath school. If you are an adult, especially if you are a parent, when your children ask you questions don’t wave them off and assume they won’t understand. Explain it in the simplest way you can and you’ll see that they’ll take it in their stride.

One of the best ways to widen children’s horizons is by helping them imbibe a good reading culture. One of the things I am eternally grateful for is that growing up, my dad encouraged us to read books. My sister would gobble up newspapers when she was just in primary three! Then she would discuss current issues on the paper with my dad and ask a million and one questions about the stories she read and words she did not know. My dad also made sure he took us to the public library on Saturdays so we could read to our heart’s content. 

Reading helped us to learn a myriad of things that we were not necessarily taught in school. For instance, I can’t think of any school that has Greek mythology in its curriculum, but they are one of the most interesting stories one can read. It is from reading Greek mythology that one will fully appreciate why they call a person’s weak point his Achilles heel. One can travel around the world and learn many things about the beautiful things and people our awesome God created just by opening the pages of a book.

If you grew up watching TV programmes like Sesame Street, Square One, Pigeon Street, Muppet Show etc. you unconsciously learnt certain things and had fun while at it.  For instance: thanks to the Sound Of Music, which is a classic, almost everyone who watched it learnt the tonic sulfa. We can look for these kinds of videos for our children to learn useful things and have fun while at it. I think this is better than our children watching some Nigerian home videos that don’t seem to teach useful values.

While I agree that some people are more inclined to learn by audio or visuals, there is still something about reading that makes a person stand out. Device methods of your own that will work for your children or a child around you that will make them read. Take time to go through and select videos and books that are in line with your values and make them available for your children as much as you can. “In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:2). Let your children understand by books. Remember READERS ARE LEADERS!