The Well-Read Mom

I opened up my new issue of Mater et Magistra (a great Catholic homeschooling magazine, by the way!) and my eyes immediately fell on an attractive ad for something called "The Well-Read Mom".  It is, as the ad explains, "a network of book clubs to encourage, equip, and educate women through literature from the Western and Catholic Tradition.  These groups are a way for women to reclaim time to read the best."

Marcie Stokman, the creator of The Well-Read Mom, adds this on the website:

Many women understand the value of quality literature for their children’s moral growth, yet they lack a seriousness when it comes to the education of their own hearts. What does a woman’s commitment to her own growth have to do with Pope John Paul’s prophetic charge, “Women will increasingly play a part in the solution of the serious problems of the future…in a way which favors the processes of humanization which mark the ‘civilization of love”? Through personal stories and gentle humor, women will be encouraged to see their pivotal cultural responsibility and be encouraged to read more and read well.

I find it amazing how often I come across women who are so concerned about what their children are reading, but pay little to no attention to what they are reading - if they read anything at all!  How often do mothers perpetuate the "do as I say, not as I do" sort of attitude by insisting that children read good books, but then read bubble-gum for the brain magazines and books themselves? Yes, perhaps it sounds like just one more thing we need to do, but yet the rewards are so rich and invigorating.  And the gains are not just for ourselves, they are for our children too.

I feel pretty certain that it would be hopeless to try and start this around here, but I hope Marcie's idea catches on and spreads widely.