I’ve been interested in the difference in attention to audio books when the children are familiar with the story and when they are not. For example, Bethel loves Peter and the Wolf, but that’s because she listens to it every day. The first time she listened to it, she wasn’t interested at all. That’s been very useful today since we’ve been in the car all day. I have a few new stories I’ve downloaded, but they’re not as interested in them as they are the ones they know. I don’t know why I am surprised. That’s true of the pure classical music I play a lot. They love the Surprise Symphony because they’re not surprised. And a few simple puzzles are enjoyed repeatedly, because they are familiar. It’s true of books they enjoy. I have some books that stretch them a bit, but because I’ve read them to them several times, they pay good attention.

We learn by repetition. Familiarity is important for very young children. That’s why the Bible stories they hear are good for them. I’m going to venture that this is why a young child can be attentive when Scripture is read frequently in the home, and why some others have great difficulty (although to be sure, personality is a large component).

What I’m really thinking about is the repetition needed to learn how to share, how to obey, and how to get along with others. I get frustrated because I gave the same lecture yesterday, or, horrors, five minutes ago. Instead, I should be thankful that I have the time to repeat the same lecture, share the same Scriptures, day after day. I should not be weary in doing good.

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