What have you read lately?

Back when the boys were very little we started reading to them.  When they were too little to care that the words coming out of our mouths were coming from the book they so desperately wanted to cram in their mouths!  We wandered our way through Clifford, Dr. Seuss, Little Critters, Gregory the Terrible Eater, Little House books and eventually made it up through the Harry Potter series.  Boy did THAT take a long while!  But the time was well spent and the boys were off to reading on their own. 

I'll still read to them periodically......after all, you're never to old to be read to.  We started up the last Harry Potter book again but we are now reading a book that will have an even bigger impact on their lives.  A book, that while no where near as entertaining as Harry Potter, will teach them so much more.  A book that brings about red faces, heads that duck under blankets every now and then, silly giggles every now and then.....from all of us....and phrases like 'are you sure we can't read Harry Potter?'.  It's a book that I would much rather NOT have to read to my kids, about a topic I can't believe my kids are old enough to comprehend, let alone even have to think about.  Are you ready for it?

Yup.  Read it and weep.  I already have.  We decided that it was important to read the book with them, to have conversations along the way and not just hand it over and tell them 'ask me if you have any questions'. Yeah right, what kid is going to willingly READ the book to begin with and then come and actually ask questions about it?  Not many is my assumption.

So it is a little bit weird and awkward for all of us.  Talking about the subject with our kids is something I had hoped would wait a while longer, but better now then never.  I want our boys to understand what a significant part of their lives they are reaching and we both want them to be the type of boys that are respectful of girls and subject at hand.  Middle school is no longer an extension of innocence.......heck no!  I remember middle school all too well and I sure wish all parents would have taken the time to talk to their kids about the whole topic back then. And not just the 'sex' part.  I think a lot of parents think that part of puberty is the most important part for the kids to understand but in essence, it's really not.  No, in my opinion, all the other emotional stuff that surrounds it is just as important, if not even more so. 

Conformity, feeling inferiority, peer pressure, respect for the opposite gender, the importance of why to wait.......all that good stuff....it's just around the corner, both in life and in the book.  We've made it through 3 chapters and have now entered the totally awkward chapter.  I lightly teased the boys 'buckle your seat belt, it's about to get bumpy'!!  They laughed at me and rolled their eyes as I eluded to what the next chapter's topic was.  So, pray it'll continue to go well.  For me!  So far the boys' have responded well and we've taken time to chat along the way and laugh a little bit too.  This subject is way too hard without a little humor!

If you need a book to break the ice when the time comes, this book is a really good one.  If for one needed a book because I could never find the right words to launch into such a serious and important subject....just not my strong suit.  I bought like 4 books and prayed one would be 'the one' to use.  This one is! There are stories from the author's point of view mixed in with all the really well written subject matter.  James Dobson is a christian based writer so God is definitely part of this book.  If I dare say so, I give it 2 thumbs up.  Now that is weird.........