"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

For the third night in a row, Kristi found herself sitting in the hallway of the boys’ wing at Cypress House, reading a children’s book to them as they settled down for bed. Tonight, it was Frog & Toad. The previous nights had been samplings of The Berenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss classics. She wasn’t forcing them to sit there and listen – they had asked her for another story.

As an assistant houseparent, Kristi had found reading to be a great tactic with a previous female resident. Immersing her in the adventures of the Pevensie children had helped her to escape from her own anxieties and to calm her thoughts, especially before bed.

As teenagers, most would think that stories like Frog & Toad are too juvenile for such a crowd. But what if you never had the opportunity to have such stories read to you when you were just a tot? Many of the teenagers that come to Gateway Woods have had this experience robbed from their childhoods, which leaves them aching for it, even if they don’t realize it. But that doesn’t mean they have to completely miss out on the experience. Cue story time with Kristi.

"When we fail to see the broken child inside our troubled teens, we lose sight of not only our mission here at Gateway, but ultimately the Gospel." Kristi Baran, Assistant Houseparent

The boys are now relaxing to a chapter book each evening, proving that it’s not the depth of the content that matters as much as the act of simply being read to. So, dear parent, read Goodnight Moon one more time to your little one(s). Their developing brains, bodies, and emotions need it. You’ll never regret the time you spend doing so and they’ll never be the same without it.