The Saddest Look I've ever seen

“Daddy. I don’t want to go to Summer School” he blurted out. And then came the look….

Every parent knows “the look”. The unmistakable look your child gets before the tears start flowing. You know – the look on their precious little face that makes your heart begin to melt and makes you want to say something comforting. Anything so they will feel better and stop crying.

Well, I’m sure you can guess the outcome of that negotiation – Of course he avoided Summer School. And now we are faced with the resulting struggles in even the most basic reading.

How do you get your child to sit down and read every day? I’ve been struggling with that recently. I hate to pull out the time-tested and trusty old “because I said so” line of reasoning. I’d much rather convince the boys of the merits and benefits of a little daily reading time.

I think it was Zig Ziglar who said – “If you’re tough on yourself now – life is a whole lot easier later”.


Maybe I should try a good old fashioned bribe. Threats of punishment or loss of privileges just seem to piss the little guys off and add to their disagreeable attitude.

Isn’t there a way to put a positive spin on this and get them to actually want to read? Maybe I just need to “cowboy up” and quit being a wimp. And start being a Father. A stern approach doesn’t mean I love him any less.

Found a few tips for helping children learn to read. I just wish I could find some tips for how to react when they get that sad little look on their perfectly precious faces.