OT: Do your teenagers read?

[Walter White.sixpack]

My kids all read. They enjoy it and I believe it's a good thing. We, as parents, have always encouraged it.

The other day a friend of my teen was over. I asked if they liked reading at all. "No, not at all," I was told. Only for required school reading. "None of my friends read for pleasure either. It's weird when someone likes to read a lot."

I know there are quite a few passionate readers in here, both of fiction and non-fiction. Do you encourage your kids to read. Do they enjoy it? Or are my kids weird?

 

[dorndawg]

My kids all read. They enjoy it and I believe it's a good thing. We, as parents, have always encouraged it.

The other day a friend of my teen was over. I asked if they liked reading at all. "No, not at all," I was told. Only for required school reading. "None of my friends read for pleasure either. It's weird when someone likes to read a lot."

I know there are quite a few passionate readers in here, both of fiction and non-fiction. Do you encourage your kids to read. Do they enjoy it? Or are my kids weird?

I would hypothesize that kid's reading lines up strongly with how many books are in their parent's home

 

[bsquared24]

Your hypothesis does not apply in my home, I am a librarian, read 1 to 2 books a month, listen to another 1 to 2. I have tried to do everything short of paying them to read. YouTube, TikTok, and Fortnite are their preferences.

 

[dorndawg]

Sure, that's why I said "strongly" and not "perfectly".

 

[GloryDawg]

I myself prefer to wait on the movie to come out.

 

[rynodawg]

Teenagers read less now.

Mine just finished with a 4.0 gpa, but does not read books for fun, and has zero interest in reading unless it’s a text, or in social media form. For those of you able to mandate your elementary kids to read, or are thinking ‘My first grader LOVES the kids section at Barnes & Noble”, just wait until they are 14.

 

[Walter White.sixpack]

But your teen?

 

[turkish]

Sure, that's why I said "strongly" and not "perfectly".

That’s awfully weak.

 

[dawgdoug1962]

In 1948, my third grade teacher drove 12 miles to our farm to give me a birthday present. It was the Swiss Family R0binson and the first book I had ever had...about the only book in our house was the bible. Through that book she opened up a whole new world to a country kid and my love for reading began and never stopped.

She taught one year at our school and moved on without ever knowing how that kind gesture impacted my life. A few years ago I looked for her on the internet and found her obituary in Lake Havasu, Ariz. dated 2011. Deep regret that I did not think to look for her earlier. She was a native of Desoto County...never doubt how a seemingly small thing you do might impact someone's life. Thanks, Ms. Zula Gore. From the MSU Class of 1962.

 

[Captain Ron]

My daughter goes through about a book a day or, at least it seems like she does. She enjoys writing as well.

We were at Sloppy Joes in Key West last year having lunch and the musician on stage looked down and said “this is something you don’t see everyday, a teenager reading a book with paper pages and everything.”

 

[johnson86-1]

In 1948, my third grade teacher drove 12 miles to our farm to give me a birthday present. It was the Swiss Family R0binson and the first book I had ever had...about the only book in our house was the bible. Through that book she opened up a whole new world to a country kid and my love for reading began and never stopped.

She taught one year at our school and moved on without ever knowing how that kind gesture impacted my life. A few years ago I looked for her on the internet and found her obituary in Lake Havasu, Ariz. dated 2011. Deep regret that I did not think to look for her earlier. She was a native of Desoto County...never doubt how a seemingly small thing you do might impact someone's life. Thanks, Ms. Zula Gore. From the MSU Class of 1962.

^^^^User name checks out^^^^^

 

[GloryDawg]

But your teen?

they read but not paper books. everything is on line. My son hears something he is reading to find out more info or to see if it is true.

 

[johnson86-1]

I would hypothesize that kid's reading lines up strongly with how many books are in their parent's home

And probably more accurately, how much the parents enjoy reading probably is highly correlated with how many books they have and how much their children like to read.

I think reading to kids is great, and we do it more or less every night, but I suspect having a parent that likes to read and doesn't read to their child is probably a lot more effective at producing a child that likes to read than having a parent that doesn't like to read but reads to their child.

 

[mstateglfr]

My kids(13 and 9) are voracious readers. I told by 9yo last night as I pulled a book from her hands at bedtime that she has easily read more books than I have in my lifetime.
Its all fantasy fiction- the Potter series started it a handful of years ago with my oldest. Then the Warriors franchise, which is about 150 books large. Wings of Fire franchise, which is less but still has a 17 ton of books has been read many times over.
Currently, both are into all the pseudo Greek Mythology books from Rick Riordan that have Percy Jackson as well as all those offshoots to the original series.

The library system(so about 5 different towns) is backed up 10 deep on the waiting list for some of the books. Its wild.
Last week we agreed to renting/reserving more books, but both kids have to read a non-fiction book for every 2 fiction books.

This all clearly comes from my wife because she reads a lot, but I am a terrible role model for reading books(i read how-to and why information instead).

 

[dorndawg]

Agree

 

[dorndawg]

That’s awfully weak.

 

[RocketDawg]

I would hypothesize that kid's reading lines up strongly with how many books are in their parent's home

Yes, there's a direct correlation. My son, now an adult, was always an avid reader, and our house is covered in books. But he doesn't read the drivel I do.

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

I’ll certainly encourage my son to read. I’m definitely not a reader, but I think I’ll start so he can see me doing it and maybe he’ll like it.

What I’ll probably do is encourage more non-fiction.

 

[aTotal360]

An hour in the weight room is more important than an hour in the library.

 

[Msubulldogfan1]

An hour in the weight room is more important than an hour in the library.

It’s two activities that are good for your mind/brain in two different ways.

I’m certainly a firm believer in the benefits(they are multiple) of exercise in the gym. My nephew is becoming of age and I’ve had him in the gym with me for the past month and a half.

I think to myself, I hope I wasn’t this hard to train when I was beginning. It’s a process. It’s rewarding to see the results he’s already seen.

 

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

My son is nearly 17 and doesn't read as much as he did a couple of years ago but still reads more than most teenagers. My ex and I read to him nearly every night when he was young. At least one book is given every birthday and Christmas. Amazing the knowledge a young person can absorb when they read something they're interested in. If a kid is a reader more times than not they'll be a leader.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Does playboy count?

 

[Drebin]

Both of my kids enjoy reading. My daughter, who's in college, plows through books. My son gets distracted with sports and video games but his christmas and birthday wishlists often include books that he wants to read.

There's nothing weird about it. It's important that kids read more and get their nose out of their phone for a little while. It's equally important in my opinion that they turn off the TV and the phone and get outside.

 

[Drebin]

Sure, that's why I said "strongly" and not "perfectly".

Just take the L. aGAIN.

 

[dorndawg]

You certainly provide a test case for what happens when a kid's parent is a complete 17ing joke. Did you ever figure out when Memphis adopted a mask ordinance?

 

[dorndawg]

Do they even still make print editions?

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

my soon to be stepson who's 13 loves to read, but so does his mom. When I was growing up, I couldn't stand to read (like my dad) and my brother loved reading (like my mom).

I do enjoy a good book these days though.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

All of my kids are readers. I'm a reader. Wife is a reader. I believe that reading and reading comprehension are huge boosters to standardized testing and performing well on the job. The ability to quickly read, understand, and apply information is always helpful. All it takes is practice. Also, having a pretty solid vocab due to being exposed to a lot of different words is good as well.

 

[RocketDawg]

All of my kids are readers. I'm a reader. Wife is a reader. I believe that reading and reading comprehension are huge boosters to standardized testing and performing well on the job. The ability to quickly read, understand, and apply information is always helpful. All it takes is practice. Also, having a pretty solid vocab due to be exposed to a lot of different words is good as well.

Sounds like the perfect prep for college level work.

 

[RocketDawg]

I started reading very early, and kept it up all the way through high school - Hardy Boys, lots of science fiction, westerns. But I never read for pleasure when I was in college merely because I didn't have time for anything other than schoolwork. Then I graduated, got a job where I had to travel a lot, and we had a small library for those on travel to read while gone. I got back in the habit then. I read two or three books a week on my Kindle now.

 

[RocketDawg]

And probably more accurately, how much the parents enjoy reading probably is highly correlated with how many books they have and how much their children like to read.

I think reading to kids is great, and we do it more or less every night, but I suspect having a parent that likes to read and doesn't read to their child is probably a lot more effective at producing a child that likes to read than having a parent that doesn't like to read but reads to their child.

Took me a couple of seconds to absorb that one, but I agree with you. **

 

[RocketDawg]

Oldjoe may be the only person on here older than me, except RocketCityDawg.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Worked for my kids.

 

[dog12]

In 1948, my third grade teacher drove 12 miles to our farm to give me a birthday present. It was the Swiss Family R0binson and the first book I had ever had...about the only book in our house was the bible. Through that book she opened up a whole new world to a country kid and my love for reading began and never stopped.

She taught one year at our school and moved on without ever knowing how that kind gesture impacted my life. A few years ago I looked for her on the internet and found her obituary in Lake Havasu, Ariz. dated 2011. Deep regret that I did not think to look for her earlier. She was a native of Desoto County...never doubt how a seemingly small thing you do might impact someone's life. Thanks, Ms. Zula Gore. From the MSU Class of 1962.

Nice story.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[mcdawg22]

I’ll admit it. I hate reading. Never liked it. Summer reading, I did cliff notes. When I had term papers I literally made up references and just winged it. Famously my senior year in high school, a very competitive classmate of mine got pissed because our English teacher would read out grades for term papers out loud. The teacher would spot check references so if you made **** up and were lucky enough not to be spot checked you could get away with it. This classmate got a B+, the the teacher said “Mr. McDuff, A+.” My classmate screamed, he made up all of his references, this is ridiculous! The teacher said, “maybe you should concentrate less on references and more on being a good writer like Mr McDuff is.” That probably explains why I had to take English lit at Scooba.