The Dark Side Reporting In

Ok.  I admit it.  We have resorted to questionable parenting practices.

I've always wanted my kids to be big readers, like I am.  That hasn't been a problem with the girls.  And in fact, now that I think about it, Lizzi is my Biggest Reader Ever, but she sure didn't have a lot of interest in books for awhile there.  Anyhow, my boys not so much, which I hear is common with children of the male persuasion.

To be fair, Rex goes in phases of reading.  For awhile there, you couldn't get him to put the books down.  At bedtime, anyway.  I think he discovered my weakness for readers and try to use that advantageously.  Then, he just quit reading.

But since we moved to Georgia, the kids now use the Accelerated Reader program.  They take tests over books they've read, and get points based on how well they do on the tests.  During the fall, Rex went to town on this.  He was on track to beat the school's all-time record for AR points.

And then about Thanksgiving or so, he slowed down to a barely moving trickle.  It took us a little while, but we eventually figured out that this coincided with when Caleb overtook Rex in points.  Aha!

But the thing was, I was really proud of Rex and I wanted him to beat the school record, and there was a tiny part of me that was really annoyed that Caleb might realize Rex's reading goal instead of Rex.  I try not to play favorites with our kids (blah, blah, blah), but this was Rex's thing, and I didn't want Caleb to outshine him solely for the purpose of outshining him (which is why I think Caleb was suddenly reading like he'd been born to it).

So, I decided to quietly bribe Rex (yes, I'm a bad, bad, bad parent).  I told him ... gulp! ... that I would pay him $1 for every AR test he took, passed, and brought home the results paper to me.  Well, this was motivating, right?  He was suddenly reading again.  Yeehaw!

But of course, word got out.  In all of 30 seconds, I think.

Some of the other children flipped.  For example, take whom we will call Child L.  "That's not fair!"  (Surprise, surprise, surprise, coming from Child L.)  "You never paid me to read!  You've never bribed me before!"  What the what?!?!?!  My response was simple (if revealing about how long ago I may have switched to the Dark Side of Parenting): "Are you kidding me?  How bout the 100 plus bucks you 'earned' for wearing your retainer??"  At the time, of course, $100+ was small change compared with how much we'd already paid the orthodontist.

And word got out some more, like in the next 30 seconds after that.

Suddenly, Caleb wanted to be paid for reading, too.  It's all about fair and equal, right?  How could I tell him no, when he and Rex have been working together (for like the first time in ... well, ever) to earn enough money to buy a Play Station 3, or some such electronic nightmare gaming system?  Bob and I had already agreed to encourage them in this joint endeavor since the togetherness of it is nothing short of miraculous.  (I will try to remember how miraculous it is when they get in the first fight over the fruits of their labor.)  But back to the whole reading scenario....

So, now I have one kid's teacher who's like, "Whatever it takes, I guess."  And the other teacher who cringed when he heard about it.  Awesome, eh?  In my pre-parenting days, I would have cringed, too.  Trust me, I can spout all the reasons why you shouldn't pay your children to do anything, and especially not something that is essentially a hobby, like reading for pleasure.  And yet, now that I have pre-adolescent and adolescent children. ... scratch that ... now that I've had the pleasure of raising toddlers, I totally get the bribery thing. Ok.  I might have understood even in the first 6 months of motherhood, when we would desperately stuff Hannah's thumb in her mouth just so we could glean a little bit of sleep from the night.  Bribery, right?

So there you have it.  A dark parenting confession: I bribe my children to read.

Do I regret it yet?  No.

But boy am I glad I only promised a buck a book, because I considered a buck for each AR point.  That would have been ouchie.

November to Remember Reading

If you know me, you know I read.  I read a lot.  It's one of my talents.  Can reading be a talent?  I have certainly made it into one.  It's a lot like breathing.  Breathing is a talent for me, largely because it's something I can't live without.  That's how reading is.

{I've probably also made it into a liability.  By which I mean that sometimes I become so obsessed with whatever I'm currently reading that I cease to function as a mother, wife, or decent citizen.  But that's neither here nor there.  Really.}

{And it's a good thing breathing generally isn't a liability.}

I'm thankful for this ... talent ... of mine.  I'm thankful for all the authors who put their hearts into what they write and create these fascinating characters and worlds and plots.  How do they think these things up?  It amazes me!  I'm thankful for new authors and I'm thankful for the old classics.  I'm thankful that my husband understands that we need lots o' bookshelves in our house.  I'm thankful that my kids read lots.  I'm even thankful for the library fines, of which there are many (but my husband's maybe not so thankful).

I'm thankful for snuggly warm flannel sheets and cold winter nights, and I'm thankful for lazy summer days.  Because they are good for reading.

I'm thankful for cereal boxes.  Because they'll do in a pinch.

Here is where I would list my favorite books of all time, for which I am thankful.  But they switch around on me sometimes.  And I could go on for awhile.  I'll spare you.  You know where to find my Shelfari page anyway.

Reading.  I'm grateful.  :)

Oh, the Drama!

Wanting to post something cheerful after a day chock-full of drama.  It wasn't horrible drama.  PTA anyone?  What about 1 predictably unpredictable toddler and 4 grumpy children in trouble for ... integrity issues?  No?  Okay, well I did finish a bunch of laundry and paperwork.  That's a good thing.  I can actually see the top of my desk (in places, lol!).  And despite a bitter wind, the sun was out, so all my serotonin and endorphins are firing happily away.  That's a good thing, too.  Oh, and there's chocolate ice cream in the freezer, and my bed has a heated mattress pad, and I have a book (or twelve) waiting eagerly to be read.

Yeah, it's all good.

Must Have New Books: the Sequel

Wow, you guys are most awesome! Only the best of friends would feed my addiction ... er, I mean, passion for books. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, see this post.

I made myself a list that should keep me entertained for awhile. Looks like the consensus is that I should finish out the Fablehaven series (I've only read the first, but Elisabeth and I just discovered that there's a 4th; she's excited!).

Julie--Is Your Mama a Llama? is most favored at our house as well, followed closely by Llama Llama Mad at Mama. And have no fear, you will hear from me again soon regarding more suggestions. LOL

Robby--Of course I haven't read Team of Rivals yet, because I usually have to make myself read nonfiction. I don't know why, because I generally like what I do pick out. I think sometimes it's just the thought of actually figuring out what to read--waaaay too many options, I don't like to browse nonfiction. So, I now have this title waiting to be picked up at the library. And as to my writing, this blog is the extent of it. I keep thinking I would like to do more with it, but I wouldn't even know where to begin. Silly me!

And Carrie--I should have called you a long time ago. Where was my head at? I've read some Pollifax books, but couldn't remember the main character's name (you should have heard me trying to come up with that) or the author, so it made them rather difficult to find. I've read all the Tamora Pierce books, and love them, especially the Trickster series (you're right: the Circle of Magic just weren't as good). I've thought I should try out Robert Jordan, but could never figure out which end was up. I know now. And I'll let you try out the Looking Glass books first. Just finished Alice in Wonderland and wasn't too fond.

Meanwhile, many thanks to all. If I don't post for awhile, you know why. :)

Must Have New Books

Most of you will know that I can be a voracious reader. Reading is second only to breathing for me. I've been known to read cereal boxes, billboards, the classifieds, and my children's homework assignments (again and again), purely for the sake of getting my fix. I must always be reading. In fact, when I have no interest in reading, I know that I've got bigger problems than usual with my depression. I've just gotten off a little run where I didn't want to read anything, and I am now starving for new books to read. I don't really want to reread any of my faves right now. I read a little bit of everything: fantasy, sci fi, classics, bios, YA, self-help, history, science, thrillers, mysteries. I've collected a few suggestions, but I need some more. What have you got for me out there?