For anyone new here, MetaCocoMom’s goal is to create a home environment that gives our children the space to do three things: Express, Explore, and Empower. We believe we can do that through intentional parenting. But what does that really look like for a Black mom navigating 2025 America? Well, that’s the question we’re exploring together.
For those of us here in Oakland, the back-to-school hustle is already real. This year, I’m officially a middle school mom and an elementary school mom, which feels like a whole new level of parenting.
Literacy is on everyone’s mind. My wife and I joke that we must make the children read everyday to prevent them from becoming M.A.G.A. (Because if we don’t laugh about it, we would always be crying!)
But literacy has been a topic of conversation for generations. And our children, our beautiful chocolate children, are objects at the center of the debate. We as parents must protect their humanity. It’s up to us to instill a love of reading in them, school surely will not do it.
Before last school year ended, I was determined to start a family book club. I picked The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I LOVED the story when I was younger. I took my brother to a children’s theater production of it when I was in high school. I was excited to introduce this classic to my children.
I went all out: I created flashcards, coloring pages, identified sight words and challenging vocabulary, and found comprehension questions. I even promised a big movie night at the end.
The result? A total flop. 🤷🏾♀️
None of my careful planning made the five-year-old twins pay attention, nor did it get my oldest son interested in finishing the story. It felt like a failure. This happens a lot on my parenting journey—well, in life, really. You have a great idea, it doesn’t work, and you have a choice. So, I spoke with my wife, and we went back to the drawing board to brainstorm how we could make this experience work for everyone.
And that’s when the magic really started.
Our Journey into Hogwarts (A Whole New Experience)
We pivoted. We let go of what I thought the book club should be and focused on what our family actually needed. Our new adventure became Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The shift has been incredible. To get everyone focused, we’ve started “tandem reading” with the audiobook. The professional narration helps set the tone and pace, and we pause it frequently for our own read-alouds and discussions. During these pauses, we dive deep:
- “How do you think Harry felt when he finally got his letter from Hogwarts?” (Express emotions, build empathy)
- “If you were in the sorting ceremony, which house do you think you’d be in and why?” (Explore identity and values)
To truly Empower our 10-year-old’s investment in the series, we added a special incentive: for each book he finishes, he gets to buy a LEGO set depicting a scene from that story. You’ve never seen a kid so excited to read! He’s now eagerly tackling a chapter a day, driven by the story and the goal of building the Hogwarts Express.
And you might be wondering about the five-year-old twins. While we’re exploring Hogwarts, they’re on their own adventure in their room, listening to The Chronicles of Narnia audiobooks. It’s literacy for everyone, in every corner of the house!
The most beautiful outcome has been watching our son’s own leadership blossom. He’s taken on the responsibility of reading physical books to his younger siblings. While one twin bathes, the other gets a special one-on-one story time with their big brother or one of us moms. It’s a full-circle moment, proving that a love for reading is truly contagious.
5 Tips for a Thriving (and Flexible!) Family Book Club
Feeling inspired to try (or try again)? Here are the tips we learned from our own reboot:
- Create a Tangible Goal: The LEGO incentive was our game-changer. Find what motivates your child. Is it a movie night? A special treat? A related toy? Giving them a concrete goal they are excited about Empowers them to take ownership of their reading journey.
- Embrace Different Formats: Don’t be afraid to mix it up! Tandem reading with an audiobook has been fantastic for keeping our son engaged. For the little ones, audiobooks are a perfect way to Explore complex stories independently. This shows them that literacy comes in many forms.
- Choose by Their Interest, Not Yours: My initial pick was based on a classic I loved. The successful pick was based on a world our son was genuinely curious about. When you start with their passions, it feels less like a task and more like an adventure.
- Make Space for Everyone: If you have kids of different ages, create parallel paths. While the “big kid” book club is happening, the younger ones can have their own special literary time. This ensures everyone feels included in the family’s culture of reading without forcing one activity on everyone.
- Let Leadership Emerge: Encourage older siblings to read to younger ones. This not only builds their confidence but also strengthens sibling bonds. It Empowers your older child by giving them a meaningful responsibility and provides a beautiful model for the little ones.
More Than Just Reading
Our family book club transformed into something more dynamic and beautiful than I first imagined, but only after I was willing to let go of my failed first attempt. It’s a living, breathing part of our week that adapts to our family’s growth. It’s a powerful tool to help our children learn to Express themselves confidently, Explore the vastness of stories and emotions, and feel Empowered by their own progress and voice.
So, if your first idea doesn’t work, Mama, don’t give up. Pivot, adapt, and find the magic that works for your unique family.
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