Monday, October 12, 2015

#StoriesForAll, Passionate May Be an Understatement!

I'm just slightly passionate about the #StoriesForAll subject that Shannon Hale recently launched. A little background info...My (boy) child was embarrassed to take a Junie B. Jones book to school because it was a "girl book". I distinctly remember looking at him and saying, "Humor and Funny are for EVERYONE!" He looked at me with the "whatever" face, so what does Mom do? Mom goes all passionate on him..."Did Mom read Diary of a Wimpy Kid? YES! Did Mom read Harry Potter? YES! Did Mom read Geronimo Stilton? YES! Are those BOY books?" (Mom waits for an answer from terrified 8yr. old) "Well yes... I mean no...well kind of?" he says with trepidation. *Mom smiles proud* "All of your answers are right! They ARE boy books and they ARE girl books, but that's what makes BOOKS so awesome. They are for EVERYONE! They take us into another world, they teach us things that we might not learn otherwise, and sometimes they are purely for entertainment!" He obviously ended up giggling at my speech.

But, this did get me thinking... Have I ever said anything like this to any of my children? Did I wait to buy "girl books" until after I had a girl? Have I ever looked at a grown man reading a romance novel and giggled a little? ABSOLUTELY, and shame on me! *Super Sad Face* In all honesty, I think we all have. I'd even stretch the subject to movies. How many times are movies stereotyped "chick flick" or "blow it up guy movie"? ALL THE TIME! I guess that would make my 6'2", 220lb, buff, cowboy husband a "chick" then, because given the choice he would pick a "girl movie".

About a year later, the above mentioned son and his friends, started reading Dork Diaries. They did it to be funny, at first, but then seriously ended up liking them. The librarian commented that many of the girls complained that the  boys had taken all of the books, which gave her the opportunity to expand their reading horizons.

Wow folks, I could go ON and ON, but I'll spare you. In closing, I think all of us have room to improve on this. Especially, with our boys! End book-bullying both in your home and encourage them to block book-bullying at school. A few strong-willed kids can make a BIG change.