We have a reader!

Today I am ecstatic. Asher has started reading 2-letter words.

I'm not sure why, but I have been anxious about the task of teaching him to read. In fact, it's terrifying. Literacy is foundational to learning and thinking, and taking it into my own hands is extremely daunting. Doubts filled my mind about my own ability to teach my son this most important skill.

I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself, feeling like he needs to read earlier and better than kids in regular school. I know this is mostly because I often feel like I have to defend homeschooling; if he's not doing something other kids are doing, then the first attack will likely be on the fact that he is at home and not in "real" school.

And besides that, I just want him to succeed.

He's known his letters since he was barely 2 years old, and soon after learned the sounds each one made. Still, today was the first day we actually put the sounds together to make words.

When he sounded out "at", "ad", "am", and "an", I could have cried. I was so proud. I have never in my life felt such a thrill. And to be honest, it only re-emphasized how much I want to homeschool Asher. I can't imagine having missed this experience, or not being the one to teach it to him. It was incredible.

Tonight before bed when Asher was showing his daddy his new reading skills, I told him we would start reading 3-letter words tomorrow because he did so well today. I pulled out a book and told him he would be able to read the entire thing on his own after he learned how to sound out 3-letter words. He asked to see the book and commented on the picture of a cat on the front.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Can you sound it out?" I asked, nervously (we hadn't yet gone over any 3-letter words).

And before my eyes, he carefully looked at each letter, CAT, sounded it out and said, nonchalantly, "It says 'cat'. Okay I'm ready for bed now."

And just like that, I realized that he "got" it. I have a reader. And I can't wait to keep going!