As the adults responsible for raising kids, we want to ensure they have the best start possible.  We feed them, we clothe them, we teach them how to be responsible citizens, and we facilitate their education.  Study after study tells us that the key to their success -- not only as students but as successful professionals -- is learning how to read.  Reading is something we learn to do, just as we learn how to throw a ball, play the piano, or jump rope.  With each thing our kids learn, we help them practice so that they can get better.

The same is true with reading...parents are coaches and mentors who work one-on-one to help our children become confident, successful readers.  But what happens when your reading interests are different from your kids'?  Should you be worried if all they want to read is comic books?  What if the kid next door, the same age as your child, is reading big fat chapter books and your child is still reading picture books?  And last but not least, who do you go to for answers? 

Last week, I was honored to be part of an online event called "Share a Story-Shape a Future."  This is an ensemble effort where teachers, parents, librarians, and reading specialists come together to offer ideas and ways to create a bridge for reading.  The theme for this year's event was It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader, because we wanted to show that everyone plays a role in helping kids learn to read -- parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, librarians, friends, and neighbors.  On Friday, Jen Robinson of "Jen Robinson's Book Page" (http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/) and "Booklights" (http://www.pbs.org/parents/booklights/) (a PBS Parents blog about literacy) hosted a Question and Answer Day called "Reading for the Next Generation."  Twelve writers each took one of the "speedbumps," those tough topics that can trip up parents and teachers, AND they offered practical, realistic tips for dealing with them.

Mom and educator Dawn Morris answered the question "Am I a failure if I don't read with my kids?"  (http://www.momsinspirelearning.com/2010/03/am-i-a-failure-if-i-dont-read-with-my-kids.html).
Librarian and author Mary Ann Scheuer helps with the question "How do I help my child learn to love reading if I am not a great reader myself?"  (http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-do-i-help-my-child-learn-to-love.html).
Teacher and author Kate Messner answered the question "Should kids be pushed to read more difficult books?"  (http://kmessner.livejournal.com/143001.html).
Along a similar line, Dawn Little, a literacy specialist, offers reassurance for parents on ways to resist "the urge to create a reading superstar."  (http://literacytoolbox.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/resisting-the-urge-to-create-a-reading-superstar/). 
Author, educator, parent, and self-described readiologist(tm) offers ideas and encouragement for reading aloud with "tweenagers."  She answers the question "What do I do when my tween thinks reading aloud is for 'babies'?" (http://planetesme.blogspot.com/2010/03/after-love-has-gone-read-aloud-for.html).
Mom, journalist, and editor Joyce Grant answered the question "How do I get my video-loving-non-reader reading?"  (http://www.gkreading.com/2010/03/get-your-video-kid-reading.html).

Another set of bloggers answer questions related to kids reading the same thing over and over.
Second grade teacher and Mom Mary Lee Hahn explains why you need to "trust your Child to Make It through His/Her Current Reading Phase."  (http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2010/03/trust-that-your-child-will-make-it.html).
Homeschool Mom Melissa offers a personal story about two daughters who are two very different readers.  One devours every book, the other is "stalled out" and wants to keep reading "easy" books.  Melissa helps parents understand their child's reading rut and offers a way to get them out of it.  (http://melissasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/kicking-it-up-notch-when-children-are.html).
Mom and librarian Pam Coughlan reassures parents that it's okay to think that reading with your kid can be boring sometimes, and she has some tips on ways to overcome it.  (http://www.motherreader.com/2010/03/reading-is-boring-sometimes.html). 
Last but not least, Mom and educator Caroline Lennox helps all of us parents with kids who are fixated on ONE THING!  She shares a story about how she got her daughter to expand her interests beyond "those princess books."  Check out "Princess Books? Give Me a Break!"  (http://learningparade.typepad.co.uk/learning_parade/2010/03/princess-books-give-me-a-break.html).

So why all these links? Because none of us is teaching our kids to read in a vacuum.  Ours isn't the first (or last) child to be in a reading rut or balk at having to read longer books; and we aren't the first or last parent to tire of reading the same book over and over, reading things we don't like, or even having to read at all.  Information is power, too much information is paralyzing!  We have specific questions; these are detailed answers.  By sharing the thoughts and ideas of a group of moms and professionals who have been there or are in the same spot we are, we are empowered to do more...for ourselves AND our little bookworms.