Do you remember being read to as a child?
By Shavkat
@Shavkat (140977)
Philippines
September 8, 2025 1:31am CST
Honestly, my siblings and I never experienced being read to as children by our parents. The only thing that my did was to teach us the basic ways of learning the alphabets, how to solve math problems, and the like. Then, we do our own ways to deal with our respective study habits. Unlike the next generation, they were able to have children's books and read stories by their parents.
Any thoughts to share?
Image Credit: kids-first.com.au
11 people like this
12 responses
@DaddyEvil (163693)
• United States
8 Sep
I remember standing in front of mom while she read to my younger brother and I whatever she was reading for herself... Sometimes I thought she was skipping stuff on the pages so I learned to read upside down so I could make sure she wasn't leaving stuff out... When I started school, I'd turn books upside down to read them and the teacher would come around the room and turn the books ride-side up... As soon as she walked away, I'd turn the book upside down again and go on reading.
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
5 Nov
@DaddyEvil I guess your teacher got curious at that time. I hope you are not doing the same way at present.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (163693)
• United States
4 Nov
@Shavkat My kindergarten teacher asked mom why I turned the books upside down so mom explained how I learned to read to her. 
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (92718)
• Bangalore, India
8 Sep
My grandparents and mother would tell us stories orally but no reading to. I have vivid memories of those stories and I have told them to my daughters. That was one fixed bedtime ritual, some one elder to us will tell us the stories.
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
2 Nov
I agree that most elders, especially grandparents tell stories verbally. At some point, we also tell these stories to the young ones at present. That includes my parents' moral stories. I personally think that should be passed on to the next generation.
2 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
4 Nov
@arunima25 You said it right. I do not have a low opinion about reading storybooks to their kids. However, I prefer to have real moral stories from the elders. It is also a part of knowing how to converse with the kids and vice versa.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (92718)
• Bangalore, India
3 Nov
@Shavkat Verbal stories from our grandparents and previous generation is just priceless. I totally agree that they are nothing short of legacy and they have to be passed down the generations. I somehow strongly feel that young children connect more to verbal stories than the ones read from books. I feel the same for adults too.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (40555)
• Philippines
10 Sep
I don't remember ever interacting with my parents in that way, but I do remember my father recording our conversation when I was a toddler on a cassette tape. It seemed as though I was responding to my father's story as he was narrating it. I could have saved it digitally back then, but we didn't have that technology, but it was still a great sound. Over time, the tape became deteriorated and eventually disappeared.
3 people like this
@rsa101 (40555)
• Philippines
5 Nov
@Shavkat Those were the times were the cassette tapes were the latest in technology and l guess that was the only way that my father was able to preserved that moment of innocent conversation between me and my dad. How l wish l could have preserved that recording and still hear my voice and his.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (200095)
• United States
8 Sep
Yes, I do my dad liked to read to us, and my grandad when we went to visit them would as well.
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
4 Nov
During my childhood years, I must say that it would be great to experience this moment with my biological parents. However, I came to realize that they cannot be like this. I guess it was a part of culture in the past. These days, things had changed, and most young parents read storybooks to their offspring.
@Traceyjayne (6724)
• United Kingdom
8 Sep
It such a shame you were never read to. The bond it forms is great and it nurtures a love of books and reading, and improves vocabulary.
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
4 Nov
I agree with you. For such a situation, I never blame my biological parents because life was not like a bed of roses at that time. Regardless, my lovely mom taught us to read the alphabets and the like. From there, my siblings and I learned to increase our vocabulary when we started to love reading novels. I think they are lucky to have us because we grew up so bright that they do not need to help us with homework and the like during our school days.
@MarieCoyle (52260)
•
10 Sep
My paternal grandmother lived with us much of the time until I was 7. She read to my sister and I every night, and always made sure we had books. We both learned to read at a very young age because of her. I cherish my memories of her reading to us.
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
5 Nov
@MarieCoyle Since we learned how to read in our own ways, we tend to change the tradition and teach the young ones to read at an early age at present.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (52260)
•
5 Nov
@Shavkat
She thought we needed to learn to read at a very young age. I do have to say she instilled a lifetime love of books in both me and my sister. She told us stories of her youth and I remember how she made the stories so interesting to two little girls.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153918)
• India
8 Sep
I would only be told stories but nothing read out
3 people like this
@Shavkat (140977)
• Philippines
4 Nov
During my childhood years, my biological parents were so busy finding ways to provide for the family. They never did read storybooks to us, which I can understand why. When my younger sister and I started to learn how to read, we indulged in reading novels. We borrowed them from our childhood friends and started to earn our allowance to buy our own favorite authors of novels.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (39265)
• Toccoa, Georgia
7 Nov
I have fond memories of my Mom reading story books to my Sister and me when we were real young.
@pitsipeahie (5426)
•
8 Sep
Before sleeping, my mother would sometimes read me a story, though not every night.
3 people like this
