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Starting at 1-Year-Old
Starting at 1-year-old (and years after), my parents would read the Qur'an and books in Urdu, Arabic, and English. This is significant because this is the first time my parents actually sat down with me to read-aloud books and expose me to language, words, phrases/sentences, sounds, pronunciation, literature, etc. -
A Cute Puppy Named Biscuit
The Biscuit books became one of my favorites to listen to and read to (most likely because I love animals). My parents would always read these books to me day and night. These were one of my favorite children's books to read. As I grew older and had siblings, I would read Biscuit to them. As we grew older, they joke around with me because I would only reach for Biscuit. -
Reading at the Grocery Store
Going to the grocery store with my parents was one of my favorite things to do. My dad would challenge me to read labels. -
Family Reading Time
My parents do not speak, read, and write in English well since English is not their first language. They did the best they could to promote reading and writing to my brothers and me. As the oldest, I took charge to help my brothers engage and motivate them as they grew older. I would read books to them. My parents would be beside us and fix my mistakes. Sometimes, they would read the book after I was done reading. Reading to them was one of my favorite times. -
Brother with Speech Delay
My youngest brother had a speech delay and as a family, we would go to the library to read together and sing songs with other families. I, as the oldest, would also read and teach my brother how to speak, read, and write. This was one of my favorite moments and bonding time with the family. -
Word Boggle
I was introduced to this word game by my middle school reading teacher. I became a fan of this game and introduced my family to it. After dinner time, we would play this word game, along with other board games. -
After School Reading Class
My parents signed me up to participate in a reading and writing class after school to improve my skills. Although I dreaded it, the class did improve my skills and grades. -
Niece and Nephew
My mom would babysit my niece and nephew. They loved books, so I would always read to them. I would sometimes take them to the library with my dad. This was one of my favorite things to do when I came back home from school. -
2020 Pandemic | Reading and Writing
After high school, I lost interest in reading books in my free time. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I started to read books that I enjoyed again and write more often. My brothers and I challenged each other to read books and we would discuss it afterward. It was like a Book Club! -
Mail
Growing up, I would always get the mail for my dad and would read it to him. To this day, I would still read mail to my dad and inform him what it is about. I know he can read it because his reading and writing as improved significantly after having children. But for enjoyment, he still makes me read it.