What you think does matter

How to Keep Children Reading Books? Motivating children to read more has become one of the biggest challenges for parents, educators, and—let’s be honest—authors too. After all, if kids don’t read, authors don’t survive. But this isn’t just about book sales. It’s about attention, imagination, and helping children discover that reading can be just as powerful as any screen in their hands. We’re raising kids in a world ruled by TikTok, social media, video games, YouTube, and streaming platforms. Even adults struggle. I’ll be the first to admit it—Netflix eats away at more of my time than I’d like to admit. If I weren’t actively writing a book series, I probably wouldn’t read nearly as much as I do. Between researching story ideas, reading books on writing, and enjoying a good mystery or fantasy novel, reading has become part of my job. But that brings us back to the real question: How do we motivate children to read? The answer might be simpler—and more surprising—than we think. One of t...

I am a funny Dad for a logical reason... Growing up without a father and watching my mother do her best to raise us — seven children, all on her own — instilled in me a deep need to be the best father, parent, and husband I could be. Now, I'm not claiming to be the best; I'm sure my wife could easily list a few complaints to prove that I'm simply trying my best to excel in these roles. As I watch my children grow, I learn more and more each day. One of the lessons I'm constantly reminded of, and struggle hard to achieve, can be summed up in this famous quote: "Our children need our presence, not our presents." — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If there is anything I can do for my children, I will do it with all my heart. The reason I joke around, act like a child when others are striving to be sophisticated, mature, and proper, is because I know time is short. Life flies by, and before you know it, the kids are grown, you are old, and you're left wondering — ...

Teacher promises student will “NOT” get A in her class – Fail Does this teacher really have it in for these kids? One of the things I had to deal with when the school year started with my teen age daughter – was the adamant declaration from one of her honor class teachers. The way my daughter describes what happened on the first day of school goes like this: “We walked into class and on the first day of school the teacher tells us that this class is for serious students. She then tells us that no one will get an “A” in her class.” Suffice it to say I was a bit concerned but I gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt – I tried to calm my daughter down who was concerned that she was not going to be able to keep her ‘A’ overall average and good grades up because this teacher had it against her. I did my best to help my daughter to think positive: maybe you misunderstood her I said, maybe she meant to say that you had to work real hard to get an ‘A’ in her class or that what she w...

Strange gift for Christmas: #1 Ok, Christmas is over, most people have already gone through the ritual of returning or exchanging the gifts they … umh didn’t like? Couldn’t use? Thought down right hideous? So I decided to share with you a couple of Christmas gifts I thought were kind of strange but did not or could not return. I am going to separate them into two separate blog post because… I need more content? No, because one gift I personally bought and didn’t think nothing of it until I saw the Christmas day pictures of me and my son. Now I have shared you most of you that my son is a military buff. He wants to go to the army, be a marine, fly a airforce jet - everything with him is about shooting, blowing things up and car chases… not sure how that slipped into the military theme but he is a boy. So here I am, a dad looking for a Christmas gift that will give me the biggest bang for my buck. You know - something he will love, enjoy and use for a long time [ I hope ]. By the way, m...

As I did some of my Christmas shopping today - mostly for the wife [ took kids to get mom a gift ] I decided to forgo my doctors orders and eat at my favorite fast food place - [ say it with me ] "McDonalds.... just rolls of the tongue.... :) So, I went into McDonalds and as I stood in line waiting for 12 minutes as a single man argued with the manager about McDonalds charging him .30 cents extra for extra onions on his dollar hamburger. The manager explained to the customer that it was corporate policy and not just this one stores policy - but the man continued to insist that he always gets extra onions for free. As I waited surprised at how this man really was making an as* of himself [ or maybe it was because I was hungry and wanted to push him out of my way ] but finally the manager gave him the number to McDonalds corporate 1-800 number. So he finally stepped aside [ so I can make my order ] to call the corporate office. As I made my order he came back to the manager and agai...

Here I was dragged to the mall, not just any mall but the mall in the next county. Tired, disgusted and broke.... my wife decides to tell me while on our long trip home that we need to make a stop ??? For what? Oh to take some pictures of your son on a tank? what??? tank, pictures, why?? I dressed him up and I have the camera, we might as well. No, not really, [ was what I was thinking....] but my son already started gleefully shouting "yeah dad, I have to...". So stop I did. The strange thing is, my wife’s biggest concern is that my son will join one of the branches of the Armed forces - but she is also the one encouraging him by buying him everything Army or having him visit tanks.... I have to say, though I was tired [ disgusted and broke ] I did enjoy taking the pictures, watching the excitement in my little boys eyes as he got on the tank, looked at all the parts and pretended to be blowing up Canada ??? Here are some pic's below - look at the cute kid, ignore the u...

Woman not stronger - men just stupid I found a leak in the master bath [ sink ]. It wasn’t bad but enough to eventually do some damage. So I put a bucket under the sink and proceeded to make sure I knew exactly what was broken, what needed to be replace and of course don’t spend a lot of money [ if you remember my water heater experience - that was a mess ]. So after figuring it all out [ I thought] I told my wife that I was off to home depot. She responded by saying: “ you don’t love me like you use to anymore.” What? What was she talking about? Where did this come from, what did this have to do with the leak? She continued “ Before if I asked you for something you would do what ever you could to get it for me, now you don’t. it’s like you don’t love me any more…” sob, tear, … I’m not sure how it happened but my dilemma with the leak became a test of my love for my wife. I thought fixing the pipe was an example of my love, you didn’t have to tell me three hundred times to fix it? You ...

Making Money is not evil - being poor is evil... It’s a quote from a book I just finish reading : Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad Poor Dad . It’s an interesting read - I know I’ve read it twice and the reason why I bring up this topic “Making Money” is because of the economy. Really - I look at my kids and I wonder … have I wasted my life. Have I been so busy in the pursuit of my own happiness that I can’t offer more for my children because I thought wanting to make more money was “evil”… or maybe because I was scared or too lazy to try? This kind of book - how to make money or the mentality behind it really makes you think. Yes I know - I’m not trying to make it rich or even become rich over night. But I do have that urge to do more, make a little extra so my kids can have it easy. If anything - learn a couple of money managing or wealth building skills I could teach my kids so they don’t end up like dear old dad - a slave to a job - always wondering if this recession or hard time will de...

Did you Know: Allergies can come & go? With a few major exceptions to this rule (see below for more information). Yesterday, I proved I love my son. How? By going to his doctor's appointment. My son was referred to a specialist in Sarasota, Florida. He has a high level of allergies, and we were sent there to find out more. To be honest, I thought it was a waste of time, but - I love my son - and my relationship with my wife. So I went. I spent $233 to find out basically - “nothing I already didn’t know”. Though I admit I was hoping the test would say he was allergic to dogs, and it would solve the “Jasper” dog issue. [ I don’t hate the dog - just don’t want him. ] The Doctor gave my son this costly test that caused him to cry and amounted to taking a large sheet with tiny needles that poke into his back to see how his skin reacts [ as proof of an allergic reaction ]. Well, after the crying and me trying to keep him from scratching the test area. We learned that he is allergic ...

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Parenting: Discovering how to Read ? My duaghter loves to read. She reads more than I do. Ofcourse I have a job...lol But I could never get my son to sit still long enough to read to him. I was lucky if he let me get through two pages before he started playing games or wanting to jump on my back. Like any good Dad - I think I have the best Parenting skills around. Ofcourse my duaghter made it easy for me. My son - well, he is just proving how difficult parenting can be. For a while there I was concerned that my son would be the "not so smart" one in the family. You know, every family has the geek and the jock [ meaning the smart one and the dumb one ]. But my son gave us a nice surprise the other day. I've tried getting him to read these "hook on phonics" books I used with my duaghter - but he wouldn't listen. But out of the blue - my wife comes and tells me that he can read on his own. That he just grabed the hooked on phonic books and showed her he could r...

Parenting: The Guilt of having two children Every now an then I am reminded by my two children - how I love or favor the other sibling. Like if I could ever love one over the other. My Daughter say: "you give him everything" My 5 yr old son says: "Kiki gets to do everything" Ofcourse they can't seem to understand that it's not favoritism - it's just that their at different ages and stages in their lives. So where Kiki the older child gets privileges my five yr old son doesn't - my 5 yr old gets more attention because he needs more guidance, protection - unlike his older sister I expect more from. But I do feel guilt sometimes. I always wanted three kids - it was just my thing. Ofcourse when I finally had children and found out how much responsibility and work was involved - I was happy to settle with just two. After all I already had one of each [ boy and girl ]. But I always feel like I'm short changing one or the other. When my daughter was bo...

Ok, so it's a forgery - I played with two seperate photos to come up with this one. I thought I would surprise my duaghter - the Twilight fan with this. You want to know what her reaction was... "Dad, your so mean" What??? Did I miss something ??? I thought she would love the idea. Especially since it took a lot of work, concentration and much effort to get this as good as it is. It's not like I got Robert Pattinson to pose for the picture - but aka Edward Cullen wasn't available ok... In the end she like the picture...

Cancer Insurance ? That’s New! I sell life insurance on the side and I have life insurance - I believe it’s important. I love my children and yes even my wife. I want to believe that they will have a future even if [ God forbid ] I were to unexpectedly die. But when my Doctor mentioned getting my prostate checked in a couple of years because I’m reaching that age when men get prostate cancer - I had to take a double take. Life insurance doesn’t cover cancer??? Then I read some stuff on Cancer insurance. I remembered what a friend of mine told me about Aflack and how they provided supplemental insurance and yes even had a policy for “cancer insurance". Funny - before today I never really thought about it. That is about "Cancer insurance " - wow just like my car. Maybe I’m just being overly cautious or just realizing I’m not young and yes I am mortal. But first I plan for my kids future with life insurance - now I’m thinking about things like long term illnesses and cancer...

Parenting: Things I hate about you [ wife & kids ] Parenting is a give and take kind of thing. For all the things your kids give you - love, joy, hope... any real parent knows that there is a lot that parenting takes away from you. So to be fair I thought I would mention some of the things I hate about you [ kids & wife ]. I know parenting deals with kids - but since the significant other is part of the parenting process - I thought I would include her. .... LOL Stealing Hot Water : As any parent knows getting your kids ready in the morning is a chore - but I hate cold showers and it doesn’t matter if I’m first in the shower or not - some how they find away to steal all of my hot water. If it’s not washing dishes, it’s turning on the washer - it’s always something - I hate cold showers I said..... Wet Towels: It never seems to amaze me [ it annoys me ] but it’s never a surprise to find that all the towels in the bathroom are wet. Not humid or moist - I mean wet... If I forget ...

Your too OLD to drive ... Don’t take this as an offence or a sign of cruelty - but “when are you too Old to drive ?” I have friends who always bad mouth Senior [ old ] drivers. They make fun of them - they point out the fact that their unable to drive because of their age. ofcourse I always come to their defense. Not because I don’t think they are great drivers - but because it’s a right - a privilege to drive and I count that as one of our American freedoms. No one should be told they can’t do what they want - when it is within the law, their rights and sanctioned by government. So if they have a car, a drivers license, who am I to tell them no. I certainly wouldn’t want someone to decide for me when I couldn’t do something. My problems is - they make themselves easy targets. - Senior [old] drivers that is. Take for example: Here I am at the turning lane - it’s only one way and no room for anyone to pass me on the side and here comes this car. Forget that my truck is 300 times bigger ...

Riding the Bull & the bull won… Ok, So I admit it, it wasn’t a real bull - but a mechanical bull or a real one - I am ashamed to say I failed. I saw the bull ride from more than twenty yards away and I wanted to ride that bad boy. Flashes of all the cow boy movies I’ve ever seen danced thru my head and for a minute - I thought I was going to break the record. I convinced myself that this was my day. I was going to ride the mechanical bull and I was going to be better than everyone else. Yep - me, city slicker turned country boy - today I would ride into county fair history. NOT! When I got to the line and saw what some of the first bull riders had gone thru - flailing around on that mechanical monster - I thought - "is this thing safe"? I noticed how the mechanical bull operator was more gentle on the kids than she was on adults - and again I thought, is this safe? Then I got to the sign up sheet and just before I wrote my name down I read the fine print that was way abov...

My duaghter is the most preciouse thing in my life. By now, anyone who follows my blog should know that my children are everything to me. And being one who grew up in the mean streets of new York city - in the ghettoo and surrounded by crime and so much more - yes I am over protective. It's not becuase I'm to clingy - it's becuase I know what can and does happen out there in the "REAL WORLD". What is my point? I ran across this article titled : How to protect your children. Good read and informative - But I think it would fall on deaf ears for most parents. I watch parents act like the minute thier child turns 4 years old they should be able to fend for themselves. Even worst is those parents that for no reason I can comprehend act like thier children are to much work and effort and should just be left alone to do what they want becuase hey - if they can walk and talk they should be able to "leave them alone"... ok so I'm being harsh. But really... ...

Is Mom a Pole Dancer? I got this in my email this morning - I think it's so funny - children I tell you. Mom explians child's Homework - always check your childs homework .... VERY FUNNY !!! (Here's the reply the teacher received the following day) Dear Mrs. Jones, I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in. Sincerely, Mrs. Smith

Having just one of those days... You ever had one of those days - you know, the one you wish you could just rewind and do over completly different. I just wish life had a off switch or atleast a fast forward button. It's funny - it started innocent enough - then it started.... car problems, kids having problems, the spouse angry becuase of stress... Oh God she's comming at me with a knife... lol Please, someone explian it to me... Why is it that when something goes wrong, it seems everything goes wrong. Can't we have a system where problems can just take turns... I guess I shouldn't complian, my father-in-law just turned 50 and he's not complianing - probably becuase he is too busy complianing about me.... Ha, good one. Needed a luagh. Well, I guess life is just a never ending battle and i have to take my own advice - enjoy what you can, while you can, for as long as you can - becuase the kids grow up, the spouse gets old and you get closer to the grave [ the nice d...