The library/parents need to read to their children more
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (12269)
United States
January 18, 2024 7:32pm CST
Something cool my library is doing this winter is doing a raffle and for every book you read, you get an entry into the drawing to win one of the prizes. Normally they have a summer reading program for kids up to the age of 18 but the winter reading program is for adults which I thought was pretty cool. I read a lot so I plan to take advantage of it. I'm not counting on winning but I figure I read anyway may as well enter the books I read and take a stab at winning.
Our local library is one of my absolute favorite places to go. I can find all kinds of cool things from local history to some pretty interesting books. They have all kinds of programs for kids and adults. I wish more people took advantage of the library.
The library was always one of my son's favorite places to go when he was little. We did the different reading programs and we did several of the story times. We've always taken advantage of the different free programs.
I could easily get lost in the library. When they do their big book sale I take a big backpack and go crazy buying books. Books have always been the one thing I almost never say no to buying my son. If I don't have the money at the moment I'll buy them later and when the library has their sale I make him go through and pick out books.
I will never understand people who don't read to their children. It will help kids become better readers themselves. Even now my son and I sometimes pick a book and take turns reading or I'll just read it to him. He's 13 and he can obviously read the book himself but sometimes there are words he doesn't know or know how to pronounce and it helps him pick up those words and ask questions. I've read to my son since he was a baby and now his reading comprehension is above grade level.
We have so many kids in our school who have parents who don't take their kids to the library or read to their kids. It makes me so sad. I get parents are busy but just taking ten to fifteen minutes a day to read to your child can make such a huge difference. I remember being exhausted and my son bringing me a book and asking me to read it and I almost never told him no, it didn't matter how tired I was. It's a great way to bond with your child and they'll remember those moments years later. I remember my mom reading to me as a kid and she also never told me no. She worked all day and helped my grandma with my uncle and she would be exhausted but she still always found time to read to me.
I get not everyone has money to shell out on books but the library is free. There are always ways to get free books. We have a bookmobile here where they go to the areas that don't have access to the local library and they have little libraries all over. People give away free books all the time. Our local library is downtown and walkable for most of the families that go to the school I work at. I feel like parents would rather let their kids do whatever they want so long as they don't bother them rather than parent their children. I get how hard being a parent is and none of us are perfect but the stuff I hear kids tell me and the amount of kids that are so desperate to just have some attention because they tell me their parents are too busy for them breaks my heart. I know life is difficult but just having a parent take fifteen minutes out of their day to read to their child would be such a big improvement for their kids. I feel like that's not a big ask but maybe that's just my opinion.
21 people like this
20 responses
@GardenGerty (157652)
• United States
19 Jan
I wish more people would take your post to heart. I was fortunate to raise my kids where there was a wonderful library!!
3 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
There are so many wonderful libraries and there are still so many people who don't take advantage of them. Our library is pretty amazing. They are always doing different things with all age groups. My son still enjoys the library. We like to go during the summer and just sit in their big atrium and read.
3 people like this
@just4him (306904)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
19 Jan
I agree with you. Parents should read to their children. It's a great bonding tool, bringing the child and parent close.
Sadly, my mother didn't read to me, and more sadly, I followed her example. I love to read. I always checked books out of the library as a child. My children love to read. Sometimes, I wonder how that happened, or if it was because they always saw me reading.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
Sometimes we have to break the cycle I guess. I'm glad you and your children love to read anyway. Reading in front of your kids is setting a good example so even if you didn't read to them at least they saw you reading. My son always sees a book in my hands. I think it's also important that kids see their parents reading. I'm sad you missed out on not only not being read to as a child but also reading to your children. Sometimes as we get older we see things we wish we had done differently but we can't go back and only be grateful for the things we did do right.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
@just4him My dad doesn't know how to read and he's grateful we learned. My love of books started very early on and it has carried with me. I lived in the middle of nowhere growing up and the closest library was about two miles away and I remember we would ride our bikes to it. I think between my mom reading to me and my dad not knowing how it really hit me how important reading was. My mom used to read books but hasn't read one in many years now.
It's great that you're writing books. I think writing is an amazing thing too. I hope you manage to get to the books you want to read.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53944)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Jan
Oh I so agree with you. We read to our kids since they were babies too . . . I truly think it helped them to have a love for learning early on.
We used to know a boy who was speech delayed . . . he LOVED it when the instructor at the YMCA would read to the kids in class. His mom knew this, but she told me she didn't have time to read to him . . . which I didn't understand because it sure sounded like they did have a lot of time on their hands at home. And then the dad didn't like to read. I think the boy would have benefited from being read to.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
It's great that you read to your kids. Reading is so important for kids. It's so sad that there are parents who just won't read to their children. Children need to be read to. My husband hated reading to our son for some reason and only ever read to him a couple of times and my son almost never asked him to read to him. My husband really missed out on that bonding time with our son and I think he regrets it now. It only takes ten to fifteen minutes of your time to read a book and it means the world to some kids. Reading to him meant as much to me as it did to him. I don't understand why parents don't want those moments with their children. I read to kids all the time at work and they love it. Sometimes I have them read to me but I also understand the importance of reading to them.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53944)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Jan
@sissy15 Bonding time - yes! That's another wonderful thing about reading to kids - not just about the story/book in hand, but time spent enjoying the moments of the pages together. Kinda magical, right - yah, and it doesn't take a long time. I am thinking that maybe some adults don't like reading out loud or thinking they have to be so expressive in reading to kids . . . but we know it doesn't have to be so extravagant as that. Awww, it's so cute when the kids read to us . . . they get to be the story teller and it builds up their confidence.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
24 Jan
@much2say I absolutely love spending time with kids getting to read books and talk about them. We have a little girl who is from Africa and I read a Martin Luther King Jr. book to her because that's what she requested and we talked about him and his life and how important it was that he did the things he did because otherwise I wouldn't get to spend time with her the way I was and that would make me sad. She was able to ask me questions about what certain words meant and it was just this bonding experience. When we the kids did their thankful writings she wrote down that she was thankful for the time she spent reading with me. It just hits you knowing how much it means to them. Some people are self-conscious about how they read out loud but kids just want that time with them and sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone in order to be able to do what is best for our children.
@RasmaSandra (73675)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Jan
I sure hope that parents teach their children the joy of reading books. Once I learned to read and got my first library card I became a little bookworm and tried to eat my way through the children's library. Even though I enjoy watching TV for entertainment I sat with a book in my lap for when the commercials came on, Thank you for the suggestion @1creekgirl
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
A lot of parents don't read themselves so they don't think to pass down the love of reading to their own children. I remember reading to my dolls and stuffed animals when I was little long before I actually knew how to read. I'd look at the pictures and make up stories and I was so excited to learn to read. After I learned nothing slowed me down. My mom always read to me and I loved it and I therefore read to my own child. I still enjoy movies and TV but I also love to read. If there are days when I don't feel like reading for one reason or another I'll watch a movie but I still do plenty of reading.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
@RasmaSandra That's amazing. I can only read and speak English. I like to reread books after a while. My son always loved rereading his books. He had almost his entire book collection memorized at the age of two or three because we read so much. He to this day memorizes things fairly well and I'd like to believe that's from early reading.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73675)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Jan
@sissy15 I read and reread the books I have and I read in both Latvian and English,
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (66918)
• United States
22 Jan
We have a library somewhat close by, so much so that I used to walk to it as a teen to use the computers and printer for school when ours wasn't working, and for social media. But I probably wouldn't take kids there until they're like 3-5 at least. Kids younger than that eun around too much in a place that's meant for quietness.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157652)
• United States
23 Jan
I took my kids at story times and when they had age appropriate activities. It does not hurt that the library where they were had a separate children's section.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
23 Jan
Our library has it set up for all ages and even has special events for the younger kids. They have their own section for kids. It never hurts to start taking kids to the library at a much younger age as long as you make sure they're respecting others and not just running all over the library. I used to take my son before he was a year old and he played in a section meant for his age group and loved it and we made him help clean up and taught him how to behave. Kids will never learn how to behave in public if we don't teach them.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66918)
• United States
23 Jan
@GardenGerty ours does too, kids area is downstairs. I just wouldn't want to risk it.
@Tina30219 (81536)
• Onaway, Michigan
19 Jan
I read to my children all the time I think that is why me and my daughter still love to read. I wish my library would do reading clubs I would so love to do them I love to read
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
I'm not even sure if my library has a reading club. They do a lot of different things but I haven't looked into everything. I don't have the time to join anything like that but if I did have the time it would be fun. It's great that you read to your children. It's so important and I wish more parents did read to their kids.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36500)
• Toccoa, Georgia
19 Jan
I have good memories of reading to my children when they were young.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40612)
• United States
19 Jan
That is a marvelous post. I totally agree with you how important reading is to children. I belonged to book clubs when our kids were little and our grandson even read some of them.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
Thank you, I love to read and I have tried so hard to pass that love to my son. My son doesn't always love reading but he does enjoy it when he gets into a book. He did a class called reader's workshop last year and they would read a lot of different books and he really got into the books they read. He isn't one to just pick up a book on his own but when one is assigned he gets drawn in. When he was little he loved books and he'd bring me piles of books. He had almost all of his books memorized at the age of two or three. Parents don't seem to understand how important it is to read to their children. I love hearing parents tell me how they read to their children. I feel like so many parents put their kids in front of a screen now and don't bother to read to them. Reading isn't just important for children to gain stronger reading skills but it's also a great way to have a connection with their parents.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
@TheHorse Most of the ones I have worked with know its importance. The teacher I currently work with will have me just read with some kids because they don't get it at home. I love reading to the kids. I take some one on one time with some of the kids and read to them and sometimes they'll read to me or we'll take turns. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. There's a little girl I read with that told me her favorite part of the day is when we read together and it really made me happy that she was getting enjoyment from it.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38663)
• Midland, Michigan
19 Jan
I agree, that isn't a big ask
I honestly don't remember reading to my kids when they were little. I'm not saying I didn't, I just don't remember. It's have to ask them. But we did have a lot of books for them to read and we did a lot of reading back then.
My daughter has a for year old and an eleven year old and they have a nightly ritual to read one to two books each night.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
I'm sorry you can't remember if you did. Some of my best memories are reading to my son and hearing him giggle at the book or hearing him get excited about what was about to come next. I used to read him "There's a Monster at the End of This Book" and he'd get to laughing so hard and it made my heart melt. It's great that your daughter reads to her children. It means so much to children.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
@MarshaMusselman I'm glad you have good memories with them. I have a lot of good memories with my son. It's great that you taught your children about God and about morals. I have been very fortunate that I spent the first several years of my son's life as a stay-at-home mom. It gave me time to raise him the way I wanted and teach him how to be a good person instead of having to trust others to do it for me. It was a luxury I know not everyone has/had and I'm grateful for it. I have always been busy maybe not at work but in general so I still had to find time and fight exhaustion to do things with him at times but I'm so grateful for those early years I had with him. I work now and our time is even busier than they were back then but I wouldn't trade any of my time with him for anything especially my time reading with him. I am glad I now work in a place where I can give some of what I gave my son to other children even though it's not always enough I feel like I can at least read to them and spend time with them.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38663)
• Midland, Michigan
19 Jan
@sissy15 I was very busy until I retired at the end of last month.
My memories are more of the times we were in the car together and I explained to them about God and how to fit his principles into our daily lives.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (15746)
• Raurkela, India
20 Jan
Less parents these days read out to their children as most of them are busy with their profession.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
20 Jan
It's not even that they're busy with their work they just don't want to be bothered. I know a lot of kids who have parents who don't work and don't read to them. It's just not a priority anymore. It's much easier to spoil their children with things than their time.
@LindaOHio (157044)
• United States
19 Jan
I have purchased 90% of my books through library book sales. They're the best!
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
20 Jan
@LindaOHio We have I think three branches that are part of ours and then the main one which is the one I go to but when I was a kid we went to one of the smaller ones. Ours just does one big sale. I'm not sure about the two smaller branches. I will say I love that the library can now get books from other libraries there hasn't been a book I haven't been able to find because of it I just wish some of my favorites would become available to purchase at the big sale they have. Our library doesn't seem to have a lot of the books a lot of the other libraries do. I bought a bunch of books at the last one and a couple were biographies for actors that I've already read but wouldn't mind reading again. I read a lot of books no one else would care to read though. If it weren't for the ability to get books from other libraries I would probably have to pay full price to buy some of them.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (157044)
• United States
20 Jan
@sissy15 We have 2 branches and 1 main library close to us. They have sales several times a year.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16077)
• Nairobi, Kenya
19 Jan
You are right, the library is free. I'm glad you do read books to your son even now that he is 13. You are a perfect parent.
1 person likes this
@mildredtabitha (16077)
• Nairobi, Kenya
20 Jan
@sissy15 you are welcomed. You have a nice way of making memories.
1 person likes this
@Letranknight2015 (51537)
• Philippines
20 Jan
They shouldn't get rid of the books. Rather they should just update them and renew ones. If they think book tablets are the future they are just wrong. Libraries need to be preserved, wikipedia doesn't have all the knowledge.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
19 Jan
I agree, I always tell my son he needs to read more. I'm getting to the point I'm about to make it mandatory that he reads for at least twenty minutes a night. I feel like it's a good way for him to relax his mind especially since he has a lot of anxiety.
