From Tiny Beans.....

I went for my training today to become a volunteer reader helper with Beanstalk.
It's been ages since my initial interview and if I'm honest I was going off the idea a bit. I'm enjoying having a bit more time to myself now both the Little Misses are at school and - lazy thing that I am - I wasn't sure I wanted to commit part of two days a week to going into a school to listen to children read.
I even debated cancelling the training. Again!
I am so glad I didn't!
It made me remember why I wanted to do it in the first place.
My daughters go to a great school, they live in a house full of books and have a Mummy and a Daddy who love books and have read to them since the day they were born. They are supported, encouraged and loved.
Today was a bit of an eye opener about the bubble I live in.
Many of the children the charity helps are in care and I had no idea what that really meant. The lack of stability, the disruption, their sense of powerlessness and the awful vicious circle of under achievement, failure, lack of self esteem and self confidence.
Honestly, it made me want to cry.
And then when we got on to the child protection issues......
But as depressing as that all was the overall feeling I'm left with is excitement at being able to make a difference to these children's lives. Something so simple as listening to them read and giving them some one-to-one attention twice a week will make such a difference to them.
And that makes the fact that I'll have a bit less time to sit around watching rubbish TV a bit less important.