Reading your kids the riot act and loving it!

January 19, 6:50 PMNY K-12 Parent Volunteer ExaminerCarmen Colon

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http://www.parentsdigest.com/

I remember writing a book report every two weeks in school and for some strange reason, it wasn't as stressful as it is today with my sons. Now, I get a Summer Book List and a a list at least every three months, with a dozen books that I have to buy.

Now, I'm all for Reading Is Fundamental but my dad would have had a talking to our Principal, Arthur Becker of PS 241 in School District 17 (circa 1975), if he was expected to buy a load of books AND before finding out what they were about.

You see, dad was a Detective for the NYPD and questioning everybody was the norm everywhere, but at home (of course).

So why am I subjected to buying books that my kids make faces at when I hand it to them and then are left all over the house, brand new, never cracked and in the end, going into my own book shelves? Also, I have to do this three times over!

I received an email from another Supermom, Pam McLaughlin / ParentsDigest, you know the one, and I'm loving the service of simply getting the gist of the books before I hand them over to the boys. I am now Engagement Director for these books and I must come guns-a-blazing with as much fanfare so that my kids can look even remotely interested.

Boy, motherhood didn't look like this when I was playing with my Barbie dolls in '78.

So, once I get an idea of what the books are about I set up my trap and read a bit and then read it out loud when the kids come into the room. I act as if the book has the secret of life, or in their case, the answer to winning the lottery, and hope and pray that they take the bait. Now, it has NOT escaped me that they MUST read the books for class but I am finding out that the "gist" is shared among the class by those that aren't bothered by reading it in the first place. Yet, for me, a lover of books, a fanatic in fact since her first book entitled, "Small Wonders" when I was four, WANTS, even needs her boys to enjoy finding out what the book is about for themselvs.

Soooo, I do this each and every time and I am getting to think that they are either getting the picture or just feeling sorry for dear old mom. They pick up the book, sniff at it almost and off they go to the races! They read it. Now coming up with ONE page on the book is a whole other story.

ParentsDigest.com is so cool. It's my cliff notes before the hard sell to the kids. Try it, it will at least tell you what your children are expected to read.