When I was a child, my parents labeled different things in the house to teach me to read. In our living room, the lamp on the end table would most likely have had a sign taped to it that said “lamp.” In my bedroom, signs for the bed, desk, window, and door were in my line of sight. Even the clock that looked like a flower in our 70’s kitchen had a sign next to it with the word “clock.”
I spent a good part of my early years reading these signs and learning all kinds of new words. My mom tells me that this habit of reading signs stuck with me, and as I got older, I would point out signs on the train like EXIT and STOP. I guess it was a good thing my parents never took the subway. Can you imagine what new words I would have picked up by reading the graffiti on the wall?!
Anyway, the time came for me to move to another room because my baby sister was on the way. The wallpaper my parents picked out was a pretty floral print of pinks and yellows. I can still see the wallpaper of my childhood bedroom in my mind, and when I googled it, I recognized it immediately (see below).
Upon seeing this wallpaper, I yelled out “clock, clock, clock,” pointing to each flower because they reminded me of the flower clock in the kitchen. It made perfect sense to me at the time. I guess my parents didn’t think to put signs out in the garden for flowers, trees, and bushes.
Of course, if they did, they would have missed out on an adorable story about me as a young reader (which they love to tell people at parties).
Thanks, Mom & Dad for teaching me to read. It was definitely a sign of things to come.