In leu of the 2014 New Years Resolutions we have only-one-week-in failures (this is getting posted on Tuesday, not Monday) and victories, I have read to my kids every single day.

And with the reading we have a wide range of attention spans and literary analysis.

For instance, we all huddle in the girls room and we read through the American Girl Doll series, Meet Cecile and Meet Marie-Grace (at this point, you would think these fictional characters were family members)

Benjamin plays with the other books in the series, while I read, and I’m just happy he’s being quiet.

We finish up the chapter, and start putting books away, and he starts giving me his literary interpretation of princess-like, wealthy, and lace and silk garbed Cecile who just finished having tea and pralines and going to a children’s ball in the book.

He points to Cecile and says in all solemness,

“Dis girl, she fight monsters. She beat monsters. She eat ‘dem all up.”

I went to a very liberal school, and sat in many an interesting English class, but never laughed as hard as I did to this very broad and liberal literary interpretation.

“Oh Really?” I ask.

“Yesssss. She did.” all low-voiced like it was a serious, secret thing.

And even if he doesn’t have the attentions span yet to listen to chapter books, I’m thankful for the vibrant imagination.

And its always better than the TV.

or iPad

or iPhone

or video games.

I’m  a purist when it comes to these mind-numbing, imagination-stunting gadgets. (Except when its a really hard day and the choice is either spend the afternoon yelling at them or plunk them in front of a movie…for the sake of their tender little spirits, in leu of mommy’s short temper, we will accepts some mind numbing)