Kids, Summer, and Reading

We are about half way through the summer. In approximately six weeks our children will be returning to school. I'll be honest - we've slacked off on the reading since school has been out. At first I wanted to give the boys a break from it. Reading somehow becomes less fun when you are forced to read for homework for twenty minutes every night. And, as a parent, you can grow to dread those twenty minutes. Yet, when the pressure is off, it is very rewarding to snuggle down with your school-age child and let them read you a bedtime story!

Tonight the boys and I all piled into Riley's twin bed, pulled the covers up around us, and read. I read the boys one of my all-time favorite children's stories, Where the Wild Things Are. My heart gets heavy because my boys are getting to the age where they say, "That story is for babies!" But, they hung on to every word!

Then I listened as Khegan and Riley read me chapters of out Diary of a Wimpy Kid. (If you thinking to yourself that you have never heard of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, then your children are either very young or young adults, because this book is a hit amongst school-age children.) The boys did a great job reading, given that it's only about the fifth time I've read with them this summer....

Yes, I could sit here and make excuses. They would be good excuses too. We have been uber busy this summer! I wanted to give the kids a little break from reading. The boys have been on the go from dawn til dusk and when I put them to bed they drop like flied. BUT, the fact of the matter is, mom's been slacking. I have been relishing the nights without homework, agenda books, and reading logs. It's time to start gearing back up and preparing the boys for the beginning of another academic year!