So long, Give Me Grace.

My kids love books. From the time they get up to the time they go to bed, they're looking at books, carrying them around, or asking me to read a book. I always have packing tape on hand because it is always inevitable that a book's page will get ripped or the binding of a book will be destroyed. I like keeping the well-used books because it shows the great love my kids have for the book. Or it could be the cheapness of the binding.

We've been trying to teach our kids that in addition to being kind to one another, we need to be kind to the things that have been given to us like our toys and books. Whenever a book is torn or falling apart, I reinforce this to both kids, though Ethan has no clue what I'm talking about at this time. Mallory is still learning and has had a few books taken away because she's been too rough with them.

Well, I finally had to throw one book away. I was hoping to keep it, but it was beyond any hope of repair. This book was given to Mallory on her first Christmas and we read it to her almost every night for several months. Patrick and I had it memorized. Ethan inherited it and it quickly became a favorite to him. And in his hands, the book had no chance of survival. Here are some pictures before it finally made its way in the trash.