As a kid I was diagnosed with dyslexia. For those of you who don’t know, dyslexia is when people have trouble reading due to problems with identifying speech sounds and how they relate with words and letters. For years I struggled with reading, spelling, and math in school. I remember being in tears some nights because my parents forced me to read one chapter book a week. I just couldn’t comprehend why my parents would make me do something that was so hard for me, something that I just couldn’t understand. It wasn’t until I finally grasped what books could give me that I fell in love with them.
My dad sat me down one night and told me I could have some of my greatest adventures in life through reading and all from the comfort of home. He told me books could take me to faraway places and into the past just by reading them. I slowly started reading more and more, fighting to overcome my dyslexia everyday so that I could go on my next adventure through time.
By 7th grade I had tested into advanced placement classes all because my dad taught me what an adventure reading could be. I was never the best in my English classes; but it taught me that you don’t have to be the smartest in the room, just the one willing to work the hardest for something. My dad gave me more than just a love to read that day, he gave me the determination to let nothing hold me back. He taught me if I want something bad enough I have to work for it myself, no one will just give it to me!
My dad gave me the best gift anyone could ever receive, the love of reading. Reading gave me away to escape the world around me and gave me control over my life. I look back on all those nights I was so upset being forced to read and I just want to thank my parents and tell them they are doing the right thing, because without them I wouldn’t be where I am today!