Thanks to readers who have been giving me feedback as requested (either by commenting on various posts or by e-mailing me personally at blog@MarlaColeman.com); I continue to try to add value to this blog. There seems to be a collective interest in my posting a more directed call to action, rather than just musing (Yes, I am still trying to acclimate to a world where subjective experience trumps objective reporting!). As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I am confident I have a lot to share, but I still am striving to make my “voice” practical as well as passionate.

So, starting with future posts, I was thinking of concluding each with a call to action — a short set of conversation starters for reading the title book to your child as a bedtime story. I have dubbed these springboard questions, which emanate from the theme of the book as well as from the theme of the post, Tuck-In Tips. (Also, make sure to label the behavior so your child knows what it looks like!)

For example, Tuck-in Tips for the November 30 post, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” (click on book title to view a 7-minute animation of the story) would look like this:

• How does Harold keep from getting lost?
• What does Harold do to picture success?
• Talk about a time when you felt really strong and in control.
• Harold showed that he was responsible. He used his brain to make good choices, and he learned that he could count on himself to invent his own future. He also was creative!