A Tribe Called Whitlock

I love reading and enjoy sharing that love with my children. They see me laugh, cry or get angry while engrossed in my books. I will never forget the time I read I LOVE You Forever to Tori, Tres and Jordan. They were sitting around me looking at the pictures as I read. All of a sudden I start to cry as I get into the story. I look at them and they all have this “our mom has lost her mind” expression on their faces. I have to admit, I cry when reading some of their books. I was reading Dr. Seuss The Places You Will Go to Natalie and Kobe and all I could think about was Tori going of to college. I had to stop reading it. My favorite books to collect are children’s books. Those that are beautifully illustrated, those that I read when I was a child, those that have a lesson to teach and those that help me to express my love. Books have helped us to introduce the new babysitter, riding on an airplane, stranger danger, toilet training, going to the dentist, puberty, sex ect. There is a book for every stage in life. Books help prepare the kids for what’s next in terms they can easily relate to. (the Bernstein Bears series is great for this) On subjects that are touchy or that I know the kids will be embarrassed opening up about I find the book and have them read it. Then we discuss the book. It is not a lecture, or what mom or dad say they have to do. When we were preparing for the hurricane this past August I remember going around the house and packing up all our important papers and pictures. When I got to the kids rooms and seen our books I honestly got teary eyed. I knew there were too many to try to bring, but those books were books I had read and shared for the past 15 years. Books that the older kids had outgrown but Kobe and Natalie were finding new pleasure in. Books signed by authors and books by some of my favorite people. Thank God the hurricane never hit. Above are the current books the kids are enjoying.