As a child, I loved to read. I would devour books nightly as the rest of my family lay sound asleep, barely keeping my eyes open the next day at school. I have fond memories of my mom tearing up as Charlotte took her last breaths and recognizing my brother and me in Judy Blume’s The Pain and the Great One. I simply could not get enough. Reading is something I want my children to value as well, and I really want to love reading to them. But, I don't. Not at all. Here's why:
1. They have terrible taste in books. Spider-Man. Tonka Trucks. Barbie Fairy Tales. Whatever happened to the classics? Bring on Goodnight Moon and I won't complain. Much.
2. They fight over the location to read. Lily's room? Ben's room? Evan's room? My room? Everyone has their own top pick, and it's a fight every night.
3. They fight over positioning. One lap for three kids is a problematic math equation in which nobody ends up happy.
4. They make me read the first page. No, kids, the publication page isn't actually a page that needs to be read. Really.
5. I can no longer skip pages. I used to be shameless about skipping pages until the kids caught on and now they watch me like a hawk. It sucks.
6. They interrupt. Go back! Let me see! What's that? What's this? Just shut up and listen! Is that too much to ask?
7. They insist on turning the pages. How annoying is that? They're always either turning too early or late or accidentally ripping the pages.
8. Enough is never enough. One or two books never seem to satisfy them and they expect a whole stack every night. I don't have time for that!
9. It's boring. I'm sorry, but even the most interesting story is boring the 100th time you read it. And, most of the books aren't that interesting to begin with.
10. I'm tired. At the end of the day, all I want to do is crawl into bed and go to sleep.
What about you guys? Reading to your kids: Love it or hate it?
Image via ooh_food/Flickr
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Comments 126
Hmm.. I agree kids have lost taste in reading; they have everything hands on. It can be a TV show or a computer game which takes up majority of their free time. We as mothers too have got little different agendas than our very own moms. Also in computer age where kids have access to any of their favourite story right on the net, they wouldn't have patience to read. Most of us are at a loss of inculcating reading habit in our kids..
I agree with this article. In our house reading time can be more stressfull then anything. So I recently started just asking them what they think is going on in the pictures. It seems to be working for now. Also we don't read before bed because that's a bury time for us so we read in the afternoon instead.
One day, you're going to wake up to find your children reading to themselves. They'll no longer need you. You're going to wish that they were fighting over your lap again.
Everything you hate about reading to your kids are the exact things you'll miss once it's gone.