I never actually had to teach my son to read. He went smoothly from being read to, to reading along, to reading on his own.  The transition for my daughter has been a little rougher, so in the last year or so, whenever Carolyn showed an interest in reading, I’ve praised her for her accomplishment.

Last weekend we were driving to Denny’s for a family treat when she read some random sign, and we habitually praised her.

She got a skeptical look on her face. “Everybody’s treating me like a queen. All I did was read a word. I’m seven.”