We’ve all heard the saying, “Expect the unexpected.” Well, the unexpected hit us last Sunday night around 6:00 PM. I was in the middle of making dinner when the electricity went off. Clearly, the high winds were the culprit. We waited, we hoped, but a few hours later our son insisted we come to his place to stay the night. Long story short, around 12:15 AM, a neighbor texted that our electricity was on. Hooray! We figured all was well. However, when we arrived home, we were dismayed to find that our cable service was off, which meant no computer, no television, and no Wifi on our phones. Initially, we thought it would be fixed in a few hours. Not so. Service was not restored until almost noon on Wednesday.

Of course, in the big scheme of things, this is a minor inconvenience. In fact, I rather enjoyed the respite. Thankfully, I had several books to devour and didn’t really miss the television and computer. That was because several months ago I purchased a rechargeable reading light that hangs around my neck and has several levels of brightness. Although we had no electricity, my handy neck light allowed me to read. This has become one of my favorite gadgets because I love to tuck into bed at night and read. The neck lamp has eliminated the need to turn on my bedside lamp and now I don’t have to get out of bed to turn it off when I’m ready to sleep. The direct bright light onto my book or magazine is easy on the eyes and makes the whole reading experience better for me.

As I a considered on a topic for this blog, it occurred to me that not only adults, but kids would love this little light. Children respond so well to anything that is new and different. Offering them a “special magic light” so they could read in bed just might go a long way towards encouraging a reading habit. I bet you wouldn’t have to coax your child to try this out in bed, in a homemade tent, or in some other special space. Amazon has several of them and they are priced anywhere from $10 to $20 dollars. In my opinion, this is a real bargain for such a clever gadget. Just search Amazon for “reading neck light” and take your pick. My guess is that you’ll wind up buying several. What a unique gift for kids and adults alike.

Looking ahead, I want to remind everyone that Wednesday, February 26, is “Tell A Fairytale Day.” Classic fairytales are part of our cultural literacy and it’s important that youngsters are familiar with them for a variety of reasons. Often, references to fairytales appear in both fiction and non-fiction alike, as well as conversation. Children that don’t have exposure to them simply “won’t get it” when this occurs. These tales also clearly delineate good and evil, allow children to experience magic and fantasy that spark imagination, and promote thinking. This week would be a good time to pick a fairytale you loved and share it with your child.

Stay well and be sure to share your questions or ideas about encouraging kids to read.