The Catalyst

I have a feeling that your response to the above photo is quite different than mine. You probably see a mountain of colorful rubberbands that come in just about every shape imaginable. You possibly question my restraint as a parent, and wonder why in the world I would let one of my children have so many. You likely think they are a terrible waste of money. (You may have no clue what they are; if so, ask any elementary school aged child).

What I see when I look at these silly bands is hours (literally hours) of sitting on the couch listening to my son read. This is my son who HATES reading. This is my son to whom reading (so far) hasn't come super-easily. This is my son wants to quit trying after struggling with a couple words. This is my son who preferred to do almost anything besides read.

These bands are his reading rewards. They are the catalyst that changed him from "non-reader" to the one who asks, "When are you going to go get new books from the library?"

You may think it's tacky when you see kids with arms full of these, but I don't mind one bit when he wears them proudly from his wrist to his elbow. To most they are just a crazy passing fad. To me they are golden.