Sherrey Giberson reads to children during story-telling time at Borders Books and Music in Elk Grove.
Many businesses offer special programs for children to help attract their parents.
She isn't a bookworm, a music aficionado or java junkie parked in the coffee lounge. It's worked on Abbie and her mother, Chris Wheatley, who faithfully go to Borders' Thursday morning story-telling time for kids. Abbie relishes the cookies and sing-alongs sandwiched between stories while her mother ends up buying a book about once a month during the Thursday morning excursions. Businesses are finally recognizing many families need or want to go out as a group without compromising the parents' adult tastes. The problem is how to fit kids into shopping or entertainment excursions without creating chaos at a store, restaurant or theater that isn't necessarily geared to toddlers.