#3. Read together every day.

Acton studios have a strong culture of reading. Along with the reading that accompanies all team projects and personal work goals, time is scheduled each day to read a book of your choice in a cozy, comfy spot. We call it “Drop Everything and Read” or simply, DEAR.

The purpose of DEAR is to savor reading. There are no assigned books or required comprehension tests. Just luxuriate and get lost in a story.

We wanted this at home, too, so we set-in-stone a commitment to read aloud together every night at bedtime.

What I soon learned was that this time together wasn’t about the book. And it wasn’t an intellectual pursuit. This was an experience in intimacy. We laughed together. We cried together. We worried about our characters together. We hung onto every word together. We were sad when a book ended until the next night when a new adventure would unfold.

Reading aloud as a family is a memory I treasure. Now whenever we are together, everyone has a good book going. We may not read them aloud, but quietly reading together is beyond comforting. It is home.