Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Day 253

When I got home from work today, the 11-year old informed me that he needed two book covers. 

By tomorrow.

Did I mention that I didn't get home until after 8 PM???

I looked at my husband and he shrugged- "He didn't say anything to me." Huh. Of course he didn't.

Luckily, I had some plain brown Kraft paper, so I pulled it, some scissors and tape out onto the kitchen table.

The 11-year old looked confused. I explained that we were going to make book covers. He looked even more confused, and asked why we didn't just go buy some.

Because you need them by tomorrow. And it's after 8 o'clock at night. That's why. I handed him the scissors.

Obviously, kids must not cover their own books anymore. I guess you can actually buy book covers- something I never had available as a young student. But who needed them? Brown-paper-bag book covers were a way for each kid to show their individuality and style by how they decorated the covers! Big block letters that said "MATH" or bubble letters stating "English" were the norm for me, with hearts and flowers and "Steph loves ____" (the blank being filled by my most recent "future husband") filling in the blank edges around both sides.

I admit I just stared at the Kraft paper for a few minutes, as I had definitely forgotten how to go about actually making a book cover. But something else that I didn't have as a child helped me finish the job- You Tube. There were plenty of helpful videos out there which enabled us to neatly cover his textbook. I probably went a little overboard with measuring and using my paper cutter to ensure straight, even lines, but hey- I am who I am...

When we were done, the 11-year old actually admitted that it was pretty cool. I told him he could decorate it however he liked, but he had obviously reached his crafty limit for the evening and decided to leave them blank for now.

Tonight's picture represents showing your kids that buying something isn't always the only or best answer. It should be interesting to see by Christmas break what actually makes it onto that book cover. Probably not hearts and flowers, but I bet there are some Green Bay Packer symbols. Maybe even a "Sam loves___".

No comments:

Post a Comment