Did your parents make you read as a child?

Question

Or as parents now are you making your kids read? I remember having to complete the summer reading list from the library in order to go out and play. A book a week at least but then I got to play as much as I wanted to. I think it helped my vocabulary out immensely as I went on in school and I love to read now but it doesn't seem like kids are reading that much anymore. What do you think?

Answer 1

I wasn't forced to read, but I was read to right from birth and it was kind of normal for me to have a book in my hand.
I used to join those reading trails set by the library, and it was great!

I don't read to my daughter as often as I should, so I am going to start doing that this week.

Answer 2

Not only do we read to our kids ages 4yrs and 1yrs, but my wife and I also avid readers ourselves. We don't have cable - but we do watch TV - mostly our shows after the kids are abed and PBS. We try to limit TV and Computer games. Our daughter (4yr old) loves to read and always has even as a baby. She is near-sighted so I think she was naturally drawn to books (up-close time) and she's already reading, writing and spelling like a champ. We didn't push her - just responded to her interests while making everything available as best we could. Her little brother is a bit different. He's physically talented, coordinated and pretty strong already compared to his sister. That's normal I guess for boys, but try and sit with him and read a book? Forget about it. Unlike his sister, books are for chewing and closing. He'd rather be moving and doing stuff - plus I think his vision is better so he's more external. He's respectful during story-time so I'm not worried there, I just think he'd rather be doing something else most of the time than sitting down and reading a book - but the opportunity is there. I'll certainly continue to read stories when the kids go to bed no matter how tired I am after a day's work. Yeah we're middle class I guess - we get by OK and we love our kids so we're going to give them every opportunity to learn grow and be capable adults... I hope!!! I really don't care about some government chart - I just want my kids to go to a school where they can be safe and learn - safe from gangs, drugs, etc. with a teacher who cares. I plan to go meet the teachers before I enroll my daughter - I hope they have an open house!

Answer 3

I try to make the kids read - and one of the two sons will read at any time, and the other is more into the computer reading things. He is 17 and will research stuff online. The 14 year old reads books with glee.

The world of communication is more than books now, since there is so many other methods to communicate. To neglect one is to fail to take advantage of the opportunities, and the kids are using movies, making movies, You tube and other 'display' sites. Books tell stories and give information - so does the Internet and the other fantasy outlets.

I try not to worry. i will be dead in some not-too-little while and other people will have to reap the rewards of my trying to make my boys read!!

Answer 4

Yup......and I LOVE to read now as an adult!

My mom made reading fun......so much fun that she had to force us to put the book down and look out the windows of the car!

Kids aren't reading (or being active for that matter) because they're part of the computer generation and they play computer games more often than they read or play outside. Combine that with the gross amounts of food that they are eating and you've got the cause of the massive amounts of overweight kids nowadays!

Answer 5

I have always loved to read, even read encyclopedias for fun when I was a kid. My son, however, hates to read. He is dyslexic so that is understandable. He likes me to read to him, and I've always done that since he was an infant. I think he does have a larger vocabulary than some other kids his age due to the fact that I read to him. But pick up a book and read it himself? He'd rather have a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Such a shame.

Answer 6

When I would complain that I was bored my grandmother would give me 2 choices, read the bible or pick a page out of the dictionary and study the words. I read the bible every summer from front to back and was one of the top spellers in my class. I even annoy my friends to this day by correcting their spelling all the time.

Answer 7

No, they didnt ...I never brought a book home mostly in my life
(it's not literly)I am grown and a well poet ,artist ,writer...
I read to my son every night since he was one ,he read his first book at four,"Bambi and the Butterfy"I thought he memorized it (the words that is)..So I tricked him...But "no" he read it "really" the words that is..I did teach ,I taught him emphasis ,exitement in reading
there after....In the same way I read books to him...dramatically, with punctuation and emphasis,you cannot make a child exited in reading for the long run without or speaking in monotone

Answer 8

I wasn't forced to read as a child. My mother use to read to me when I was in her womb and cont. to read to me after I was born. I am now a big reader. I enjoy it and am hoping my son will pick up on it. I read to him while he was in the womb and I still read to him everyday. He is taking an interest in his books and like to lay on his back with a book in his hands flipping through it looking at the pictures.

Answer 9

Nope, nobody forced me to read. I love reading. My parents are actually telling me I have too *many* books.

Answer 10

they never made me, but they always tried to encourage my love of reading- they read to me every night when I was young, discussed books with me, and bought me books. I'm still somewhat of a bookworm.