When I first watched the Carly Fleischman video in February 2010 I was struck by the fact that she understood everything people had been saying to (and about) her all those years, and she thanked her father for reading to her. I was so impressed with him for having the faith to read to her even though he had no evidence she understood. He also apologized for talking about her in front of her as if she wasn't there, and that struck a chord with me. I tried to remember this but it was easy to slip back into old habits.
I was also very touched when Elder Bednar said that "Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families.....Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the "familiar spirit" described by Isaiah (Isaiah 29:4; see also 2 Nephi 26:16)." http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/watching-with-all-perseverance?lang=eng
One of the very first things I was taught at the neuroplasticity program was how I should talk to our son (not like a baby) and THAT I should talk to him all the time, about what we were doing and why. How fascinating that spoken language is such a key component of the system.
Reading the Book of Mormon in their baptism year (the year they turn eight) is a ritual that is done in our ward, and the kids who do it earn a small seagull statue. All three of our older kids did it and although it was a lot of work both for them and for us to help them read a 531 page book in King James Bible-style language, it was a spiritual and temporal blessing both to them and to us. And in a secular point of view, this was a huge boost to each child's reading skills. In fact, many teachers of kids who are reading the Book of Mormon at home have remarked on how their reading has skyrocketed.
I believe that our currently nonverbal nine-year-old will be blessed in the same way, by regular exposure to this book, just as my other kids were.
As a side note, last year we decided not to have him baptized because although it is a personal family decision, people with extreme developmental disabilities are considered innocent and not in "need" of baptism. Mormons don't baptize infants and wait for the age of accountability (eight) to baptize their children. Of course I am re-thinking all this and at some point we will ask our son if he would like to be baptized.
When our other children were working on the reading goal, my husband was usually the one who read with the kids and by the time the third child was ready she often read while listening to the audio recording. I don't remember personally spending much time reading the Book of Mormon with my other kids.
I evangelize about a lot of things--one of them is neuroplasticity, and one of them is Harry Potter. Whenever I run into someone who has not read the books I am incredulous. A while back I emailed a friend of mine who was trying to learn how to unwind, telling her that there is nothing sweeter than snuggling up with your eight year old and reading Harry Potter together.
Soon after that, my own words resonated with me, and I thought, hmmmmm...I have an eight year old.....and decided to start reading Harry Potter to him. And then I decided to start having him listen to the audio Book of Mormon in his room at night.
But this recent strong true belief that he is really in there and listening, along with the need to have more spiritual power in my life that the book promises, prompted me to start reading to him directly a few weeks ago.
It has been an absolutely wonderful experience to sit on the couch with my son and read while he snuggles and smiles. I'm pleased to note that except when I was out of town I haven't missed a day of reading the Book of Mormon aloud to him in the morning while we wait for the bus. It's a calming ritual for both of us, and although he has the run of the house, he chooses to sit right next to me on the couch and listen quietly while I read. (What a contrast to the pre-bus ritual that we had just a few months ago, in which I would literally pray that I would be able to get him out the door without getting my nose broken.)
Last week I got teary as I read the part where Christ visits the Americas and then the tears really flowed as I thought about how my daughter was leaving for college the next day.
I told my son I was sad that she was leaving and about how much fun we had had this summer but that we would skype her and told him when we would see her next. It's not easy to have a one-way conversation but it was a special moment between us. A year ago we never explained anything to him about her leaving for college, and only after two weeks of him being extra fussy did we realize that he was probably missing her.
I know that reading the Book of Mormon daily will bless the lives of every member of our family, as promised by Marion G. Romney:
"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67).
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