It's hard enough to be the wife to the President of the United States, but to have differing political opinions as your husband would take a new level of understanding.
Former First Lady, Barbara Bush was not shy to share her political views but she knew when it came to life, relationships matter most.
She said, "Cherish your human connections - your relationships with friends and family". Those are the things she valued most. So even when she and former President Bush didn't agree on political policies, their relationship stayed firm.
When her son was having a hard time reading at school and it was discovered that he had Dyslexia, she stepped in to find out all she could about it. She recognized the power and freedom that reading brought and it became her platform to fight against illiteracy.
To help do that, she wrote a children's book called C. Fred's Story about the adventures of her dog and donated all proceeds to various literary charities. Eventually she helped establish the Barbara Bush Family Literacy Foundation, which promoted the importance of reading to children in their homes. She also believed that increasing our nations literacy level would result in lowered poverty.
She went around the country teaching and speaking to large groups about the impact that proper education can have on an individual and a country. She was an advocate for education in the home and once again taught that, no matter your political beliefs, teaching our children to help themselves be successful was the ultimate goal.
Moral of the story:
It's ok to disagree. Relationships are what matters most.
Plus, reading to your kids is important and leads to future success.
Activity:
Read together! Get your kid's favorite books and read to them.
Make different voices for each character, act them out or even read in an unusual place (for example: in a blanket fort, under the table, outside on a blanket, in a closet with a flashlight, etc.).
Get creative and just make it fun.
You can even purchase Barbara Bush's book C. Fred's Story on Amazon if you're looking for a classic.
Another fun thing we like to do is from Ralphie Jacobs called the Mom Store.
You can check it out in her highlights here:
Questions for discussion:
Do you like reading? If yes, what do you like about it?
If no, what don't you like about it?
Why do you think it might be difficult to grow up not knowing how to read?
What are some things you couldn't do if you can't read?
What kinds of things do you like reading about?
The Barbara Dress:
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