Promising Pages' Littlest Bookworm

Kristina reading to her son, Nate

Promising Pages Founder and Director Kristina Cruise may have been named one of Charlotte's 50 most influential Women (read more here: http://mecktimes.com/events/), but the influence she has that means the most to her is the influence of her newborn son. Nathaniel William was born on March 10^th, 2012 at 7:39 pm at 8lbs 12oz. And it seems that ever since Nate has opened up his little peepers, Kristina and his father, Greg Goeke, have been reading to him. That might not come as a surprise from the director of a nonprofit that advocates literacy. But, what exactly has inspired Kristina to read so diligently to her son and, for that matter, to start Promising Pages?  

According to Kristina, "One of my inspirations for Promising Pages came from a guy I carpooled to high school with. His name was Joey Serra. Besides being funny and incredibly witty, he was one of those guys who was just undeniably smarter than the others. One morning, I asked him how he became so smart. His answer went something like this, 'I don't know, but here's what I can tell you: When I was little, my grandmother read to me a lot. Every day in fact. By the time I was three or four, I was reading the newspaper.' I remember thinking to myself, 'I am going to read to my children, a lot.' The impact of that conversation stuck with me all these years."

One of the facts that Promising Pages lives by is that 90% of the brain synapses form before the age of five. Reading to young children is vital to their development and growth. And Kristina doesn’t just treat that fact as a statistic, but is acting on it in her own life.  

Only a small portion of Nate's library

"Although my son is only three weeks old, we have read a lot of books. Knowing what I know about early childhood development, it would be a shame not to mention a bad example if we had it any other way. Anyone who comes to visit Nate knows they have to read him a book. Bringing food is optional although equally appreciated. The books that we read are geared toward babies and toddlers. Titles include Counting Kisses, Cars and Trucks from A to Z and Snuggle Puppy. We also like Jet-Set Babies Wear Wings, by Michelle Sinclair Colman, (a gift from my dear friend Olivia Branch, thank you!) The Poky Little Puppy, a classic from my own childhood, and admittedly one I am borrowing from Promising Pages, also makes the list of favorites. We tried our best to read to baby Nate in utero, but to be honest it only happened a couple of times. You do what you can, but life it busy. Now that he's here, he's so alert for a good portion of the day, despite the fact that newborns are supposed to sleep 19 hours a day. We are in the forming habits stage and although we're not perfect at it yet, reading books and listening to music will be a daily habit. Like Joey Serra, I don't ever want Nate to remember a time in his life that he wasn't reading. Thank you, Joey, for the inspiration."

Kristina and Nate

It is really amazing how a simple conversation on the way to school can inspire someone into creating something as influential as Promising Pages. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I thank Kristina for listening to and remembering the words of her friend from years ago, and dedicating so much of her time so children can be blessed with the gift of a book. I also wish her good luck with the new member of her family. Here’s to hoping she gets some decent sleep before Nate graduates high school.

For more information about Promising Pages and Kristina, visit www.promisingpages.com. Remember to follow our blog, and tune in next Monday for more!

--Faith Lippard, Promising Pages Blogger