What's up with the 2000 Texts Bit?

If you're just joining this tale, please read "What do you Mean I Can't Watch Sponge Bob!?" first.

When my husband, Chris, and I were kids we rode bikes. We invented games to play with our siblings and/or our friends. We climbed trees and we made forts. We DID stuff...AND we read books. Our experiences were a continent apart, but they were basically the same. Our childhoods are packed with great memories of doing fun things and this is the kind of childhood we've always wanted to give to our kids.

The kids. Our wonderful, fantastic, amazing kids. They like to do all those things too, but they have also been asking for video games for as long as we can remember. Chris and I discussed long ago that we were never going to buy a game system for our kids. We talked about how we feel game systems do nothing to promote intelligent interaction with others, physical activity, or really anything of any educational value. We weren't going to give our kids an opportunity to get hooked on video games because we wanted better for them.

Neither of us had such a thing growing up, so we figured our kids don't need it either. Making up games, playing in tree forts and interacting with others at the playground are all skills that encourage creativity and foster postitive social skills. For seven years we haven't budged and we haven't regretted it either.

However, we're starting to soften. We’re realizing that perhaps there are some positives to some video games. There are games with some educational value, and the hand/eye coordination they'd learn can't be beat. Heck, there are even games that incorporate some physical activity. It's not strenuous, but it’s certainly better than sitting like a lump on the sofa.

"OK, great", you say. "You're not crazy about video games, but what's up with the 2000 texts bit?", you ask. Well, I've titled this project, "The Tale of Two Thousand Texts" for a reason, and it has a lot to do with video games. We are, in fact, going to buy the kids a gaming system, but only AFTER they've read two thousand books.

At first the idea of using a game system as a reward to encourage the kids to read seemed quite counterintuitive. But then after discussing the parameters regarding exactly HOW the game system would be earned, we thought it was brilliant! This was when we decided on the target of 2000.

After they've read 2000 books between the two of them, reading will have become something they enjoy. It will no longer be a chore, but rather, second nature. We aren't worried that a game system will replace the love of reading they'll experience after they hit their target. They will have achieved that target BECAUSE they've enjoyed reading so much. I know they'll achieve this target because it's not so much that they have completely lost interest in reading. They just need some guidance to get back on track.

A love of reading is such a wonderful gift to give our children and we're confident once they've spent so much time with their noses in books, reading will be in integral part of their lives. We're confident they'll always be readers; whether there is a game system in the house or not.

So here we go!