"I'm with you, Katniss Everdeen!" Enjoyment of the Hunger Games series one more reason why it's great to be a kid again

I've spent the last few weeks delving into the world of Katniss Everdeen and her efforts to stay alive in the "Hunger Games" book series. I was the last person in my house to read it, but now that I'm into it, I'm really glad I picked that book up.

A lot of people, young and old, have been reading these books, so it's not that unusual that I'm reading them. But the fact that I'm getting into the story -- a dark tale where children are made to kill each other for the amusement of the government -- proves yet again why it's great to be me.

Katniss Everdeen. Harry Potter. Darth Vader. World of Warcraft. Guitar Hero.

What do they have in common? Well, for starters, they're all awesome, in my opinion. I mean, who hasn't wished they could cast spells that can make people barf slugs, or dreamed of being a rock 'n roll god with divine guitar skills, wowing a groupie-filled crowd that simply can't ... get ... enough of me.

But more importantly, especially for this discussion, they've got something else in common that's much more interesting: I wouldn't care about any of them were it not for my kids.

Show of  hands, dads. How many of you have begrudgingly gotten into something you thought was a waste of time only to find out that, hey, Star Wars is actually really cool or, hey, I actually kind of like this Warcraft thingy with the night elves and gnomes and rogues.

I'm very immature. And completely riddled by ADD. Seriously. Show me something shiny and I'll forget that I'm on my way to diffuse a bomb. It can be a curse. I can remember lyrics to a thousand songs, but not the fact that I was supposed to pick up my son or daughter from school today. Thankfully, they're very forgiving.

They're also, I think, thankful -- most days -- that they've got a father perpetually stuck at at age 13. And that's what makes it very easy for me to not only enjoy the things they like, but in some cases really get into the things they like.

The first time I played Guitar Hero, I thought it was, I don't know, sorta cool but nothing I'd spend any real time on. Six months later I'm playing "Talk Dirty to Me" on expert. When my son wanted to play World of Warcraft, I let him, and peered over his shoulder as he wandered through the virtual forest killing boars and discovering new lands. A few months later, I'm in a guild and falling asleep to thoughts of "How can I get that new staff so the group will let me run Naxramus tomorrow night?" (Please, don't make me explain.)

Now I'm wrapping up book two in the Hunger Games series. It's dark. Very dark. But it is good. I can't wait to finish all three before the film based on the first book comes out. It's really been a blast.

And I have my kids to thank for it.