My Bookworm, My Drill Sergeant

Mom! You can't stop! Keep reading! Mom! You've chosen a terrible spot to stop! Read one more chapter first!

At the end of the weekend, realizing that my head cold was getting the better of me, I not-so-subtly hinted to my family that someone should make us supper tonight. So, I was happy when I went into the kitchen and found my husband had taken my suggestion of making grilled cheese sandwiches to go with some minestrone soup. Simple but delicious, and any food prepared by someone else tonight was going to be appreciated. I enjoyed the meal then retreated to my bedroom planning on crawling into my bed with my novel. But there she was, waiting for me, already curled up under the covers...the drill sergeant.

She is on her laptop tonight. Sometimes she's in my bed doing homework. Most days she is in there reading. Known for sailing through books in one sitting, she's my bookworm. My bedroom is a quiet spot of course, away from the sound of the television or her sister skyping with friends over the computer. "This is my bedroom you know", I say to her almost daily. "Yeah, I know"", she replies. I suppose there is something extra comfy about a Mom's bed. I remember thinking that when I lived in my childhood home too.

After she makes room for me, I open up my novel. "Where are you now?" she asked. It's been nearly a year since we finished the first book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and although she and my son quickly devoured all three books, I had not moved past the first book. Both of them have been anxiously awaiting me to finish the second book, Catching Fire...and next, the third, Mockingjay. So when I came home last week and told them both that now I had to read the second book as soon as possible since my dystopian literature students were reading the sequel to The Hunger Games on their own and were excited to talk to me about the storyline, they were quick to react. "MOM! We've been waiting for you to finish that book for so long! READ IT!" I told them I was planning to do so this weekend. But then the head cold hit. I started the book Friday evening but could not keep my eyes open. I read a little more on Saturday but again, got sleepy. So tonight, under the watchful eye of my daughter, I am on a roll, trying to read as many chapters as possible before bedtime.

"Wait. Let me see the book. I need to know where you are now", she says. I hand her the book and she tells me again. "You need to keep going!" After all those years of reading to her as a baby and young child, after all those trips to the school book fairs, to the library, and to all those bookstores, after all of our discussions about our favorite books, I realize that I have created a monster. This girl of mine is not only a dedicated book worm, but she is cracking the whip wanting me to read more of my book without taking any breaks. I sure hope she lets me go to bed tonight.

I'd like to tell you more about how I am ending my weekend next to my little drill sergeant, but I fear there is no time. I must get back to Catching Fire. I have to admit, I'm hooked. I need to find out what's going to happen in the next chapter, the one I was supposed to read before taking this break. "You have your own bed", I tease my daughter, without expecting her to leave. As comforting as it was to crawl into my Mom's bed when I was younger, I have to admit. It's even sweeter to have a child, even one who is nearly sixteen years old, crawling in mine to read with me.