**By: Justin Gregorius
Being a part of the U.S. military is one of the most difficult things a person can do.
Given the taxing physical and emotional demands that comes with the job, fighting for our country is in no ways an easy path.
One of the most troublesome, yet overlooked, aspects of being part of the greatest military power the world has ever known is sacrificing precious moments with children and family. The time a parent spends away from their child in order to protect and serve the United States can put a strain on their relationship.
We at StoryTime understand this plight all too well. One of our partners is a disabled veteran and the experiences of his brothers in arms in dealing with this issue were, for lack of a better term, heart wrenching.
With this problem and similar ones like it in mind, my partners and I began StoryTime in hopes of remedying this epidemic of family strain in our armed forces.
While my brother and cofounder, Brian Gregorius, was finishing his MBA at the University of Florida, he found that his friends with young children were constantly missing out on moments at home because they had to travel for work.
They would complain about not being able to read to their children nearly as often as they wanted to. Additionally, they felt like they could not afford all the books their children wanted to read; the average children’s book costs $9.99.
My brother and I started to really consider just how many people face these kinds of problems. Not only was this a problem for young professionals, but for military personnel, athletes, consultants, journalists, and people in many other professions.
In our efforts to solve these issues, StoryTime was born.
StoryTime is designed to bring families closer together and lower their costs. We are able to accomplish both of these goals with our vast children’s book catalog and our READwithME feature.
Our Catalog:
With a subscription to StoryTime, families will have unlimited access to our catalog of over 2,000 children’s books and counting.
For a monthly payment of $9.99, which is slightly more than the price of a single children’s book, you can provide your child with roughly $20,000 worth of children’s books.
Kids are innately curious about the world around them; they love to read and learn. Our catalog will give your child the chance to learn, grow, and explore without monetary constraints.
READwithME:
Our READwithME feature is our solution to a problem so many military families face; children being separated from their parents.
By combining the concepts of live video chat and screen sharing, your deployed loved one can now read to their child from anywhere in the world.
READwithME allows parents to pick a book, see their child, read to their child, and turn the page on their child’s device while being an ocean away.
We at StoryTime understand the incredible sacrifices the members of our armed forces make in order to protect and serve us, but with READwithME, missing out on bedtime stories with their children is one they no longer have to endure.
We understand that there is nothing that we can do to fully replace the experience of a parent reading to their child in person. Being part of a military family is extremely difficult; many of you reading this know that.
That being said, StoryTime is something my team and I truly believe can make the strenuous circumstances of being a military family easier, for everyone involved.
Imagine how your child’s face will light up the moment their deployed mom or dad pops up on their screen, ready to dive into an exciting adventure story together.
This is the essence of StoryTime’s mission, bringing families closer together and relieving some of the hard circumstances that life throws at all of us.
Together, we can ensure that StoryTime’s mission is a successful one.
