WHERE are all the books?

[starwarsmomma]

I'm just wondering something....

 

We go over to friends' homes, neighbors homes' who all have kids. There's never any kids' books. Not on shelves, baskets, or anything.

 

There are NO kids books lying around.

I asked one friend, who is a TEACHER, where she stores all of her 6 kids' books...

 

You're not gonna believe her response. They buy the kids a book each at the school book fair, but the rest of the books are read during the school year (whatever their teachers assign them to read).

 

And that's it.

No extras.

And you should know-- she spent last school year complaining that teh schools are lowering the required reading for the kids in her school. So now the kids are required to read 1 book a month for the school year.

 

Ok, so she has 6 kids and is tired. LOL

 

 

I asked another neighbor who has 2 kids. Where do you store books, and what do your kids like? (I'm always looking for good book suggestions).

Her answer?

The kids don't care to read on their "spare time". They prefer to play playstation and wii instead.

 

 

ok.

 

 

I asked another neighbor, with 2 kids.

They aren't a "reader" family, since one child has dyslexia. So they watch tv and movies instead.... (my son has dyslexia too, it never stopped us!)

 

 

I know it's summer. We're ALOT more relaxed in the summer. But I have books EVERYWHERE. And when the kids are "bored" I tell them to do chores or read. And they do. It all goes around our schedule, some weeks are crazy and some are very slow. :D

 

It's what I grew up with, and I assumed most families kept books around for kids to read.

 

Am I the crazy one here?

[KJsMom]

If you are crazy than so am I. My family gives books as gifts. My dd asked for books for her birthday.

[BikeBookBread]

Wow. We do have a PS3 and Netflix streaming, which the girls do watch, but they also have a HUGE bin of library books right next to the entertainment center. When they aren't outside, they're reading. When they are in the car, there's a book with them. PS3 is a sometime activity, reading seems to happen all of the time. We do the library at least once a week, and they each check out all they books that THEY can carry :lol: (that is until they beg me to carry some in my bag, which I willingly oblige...anything to keep my girls interested in reading!) Right now we have about 30 books checked out total, not an unusual amount, and I know some of you families probably have 3 to 4 times as many as this!

 

When we pass a Barnes & Noble, both girls scream, "Barnes & Noble!" Please, Daddy, Please, can we go????!!! They have never screamed Toys R Us... (they do love toys, but not as much as books.)

 

ETA: The library books are in addition to the large bookshelf of kids' books in PDG's room, and the small bookshelf in LLL's room.

 

ETAA: Oh, and two tall bookcases in our bedroom, two talls in the living room, one tall in the office and 5 boxes of books we haven't unpacked yet. We like books a lot.

Edited August 2, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[SonshineLearner]

I grew up with the library and no tv (or not much) I have let my kids watch tv and play too much tv.... we're trying to back up right now.... (and books or chores would probably work :)

[mafi39]

I too am amazed at how "odd" we are because I always keep a basket of books in the living room and change it every few weeks for the kids to look at and read. All of my friends kids wouldn't know a classic book if it hit them in the face. They think spider man books and the disney books are "real" books. A lady gave me 3 boxes of books that her boys had outgrown. Every commercial book you could think of was in it. My kids spent a few days looking at them and then we donated to the good will.

[Outdoorsy Type]

I grew up in a house with a bookcase in every bedroom, and a wall of bookcases in the living room. It does seem odd to me when I go to people's houses and there are no books. :confused:

 

I will say that I keep my own books to a minimum. I have a bookshelf in the guest room, and a bookshelf in my closet. (ran out of wall space, they aren't "those kind of books" LOL) I tend to resell my own books after I read them, so maybe a lot of Moms do that with kids books as well.

[dirty ethel rackham]

If you are crazy than so am I.

 

Me, too. I am fortunate that most of my friends are big readers and have tons of books lying around. However, most of my family is not the same way. I was known as the "book aunt." I gave books at every gift giving occasion. At Christmas, my nieces and nephews would pick up a gift from me and know what it was. It might not have been the gift that got the biggest "wow" at Christmas, but, 6 months later, I would find that book at their house, dog-eared with much love.

 

Fast forward ... my younger sister has two kids. I have always given them books as well. I visited my sister several years ago and noticed her encyclopedia set, but no other children's books. She said that she bought the encyclopedias because they matched her decor!! When her kids get a book, they read it and donate it to the town's library. Her kids do not own any books because my clutter-averse sister (Okay, Mom assured me that I was not the milkman's kid ;)) gets rid of them as soon as they have been read.

 

Around here, while we do have a great library system and we have 3 thriving book stores (including an independent, Yeah!), many kids do not read unless they can get credit for it through the Accelerated Reading program. Many fabulous books are not on that system so many kids just don't read for fun (except us nerdy homeschoolers:)).

[Starr]

WHERE are all the books?

 

My house! :lol:

[Kathleen in VA]

I'm not sure if this is more prevalent now that it was in years past. I grew up in a home where there were very few books. I remember dusting the same thirty or so books on one particular bookcase every week. Seemed like we never bought any more my whole childhood. I even remember some of the titles even though that was forty years ago, lol. I think I had maybe three books of my own - Wind in the Willows, the Golden Book of Poetry and Fox in Socks.

 

My house is stuffed with them. I go to practically every sale our local library has and I pick up tons at yard sales as well. Not sure how I got that idea since I wasn't raised that way.

 

My neighbor across the street has two little boys, ages 10 and 4. The 10yo attends public school. They have a Wii and each of the boys has a tv in their bedrooms. You'd think the 10yo would not be a reader, but it's the opposite. Every time I see that boy he has his nose in a book. Right now he's working through the Redwall series. His mom comes over every once in a while and asks to borrow books for him because she hasn't had a chance to get to the library, lol.

 

Maybe it's just a personal thing. Some folks just like to read and others don't. Interesting question though. I've thought the same thing when I've gone into other homes and seen very few books.

[HollyDay]

I tried to buy bookshelves when we first moved here, and could not find ANY! Dh has made me several and I need more!

Our local Barnes and Noble has gone out of business. One of our largest Christian bookstores and our only homeschool supply store has gone out of business. We had guests recently who couldn't get over all our books. "You don't read all of them do you?" :confused: Yes, we do have a TV. And a dvd. And a vcr. And an ipod. And a computer. And netflix. And Xbox. And, we enjoy reading!!!!!

[littlebug42]

I am fortunate that our family and closest friends all value reading. My dd8 and her older friends in our group, ages 14, 11, and 10, often have conversations about books they have read etc. All of the parents also read extensively. It doesn't surprise me though that many do not read. Reading recharges our batteries though. My dd8 reads so much that I just went on a major garage sale/paperback swap/thrift store buying spree to find new material for her to read.

[Hockey Mom]

My books are currently in moving boxes and will be unpacked when DD goes to college and we can covert her bedroom into our classroom. :D

 

I do have 25 library books for the kids in my living room right now. :)

[ChemMommy]

when I go into my SIL's house and there are NO books anywhere in the house. She had 3 kids and doesn't read to them or encourage them to read books. How sad!!

 

My son took a book on a scouting trip and the boys made fun of him for always having a boo in his hand. Okay, I wish he'd put it down and do more "scout-y" stuff, but there was a lot of wait-time involved in this trip. My son used it wisely.

 

BUT, even sadder is the comments made about my 9yo dd by the same scouts. She was on page, oh, 179 of a book, and the 15yo Eagle scout was shocked that a kid could read such a long book. My son look at the guy like he was an alien species, commenting later to me about how odd he thought the kid was for being amazed at someone reading such a long book.

[nevergiveup]

Only one bookeshelf full here and that mostly contains technical books from high school and college. I do have a couple of totes full of classics but I am the only one picking them up on my own. My kids, two boys, only read during school hours (for the most part). They do not watch much TV nor do they play video games or spend much time on the computer. They are never bored. They spend most of their time outdoors working (their choice--I would like to see them read more).

 

When/if they do read on their own, it is something technical like a service manual or something.

[Mom in High Heels]

Most of Indy's books are in his room. He has several shelves full of books and we have lots of books in the school room, but as a rule, I don't keep them around the house. On the shelves in the LR, there are loads of other books, but Indy knows where his books are kept when he wants them and can go get them. Just because someone doesn't have kids books everywhere doesn't mean they don't own any.

[Dmmetler]

My DD has a dance friend who's mother just contacted me recently for curriculum advice. It seems that the little girl didn't get into the K program her mother wanted her in, and so mom has decided to hs K.

 

What worries me is that I've been in their house-and there are no books. (This is also a mom who superglues the outfits to her daughter's Barbie dolls because she got tired of having to help her DD dress the dolls). Not out in public areas, not in the children's rooms. Unless there's some stockpile somewhere, they're just not there! And from what the mom has said, I think that's accurate.

 

I can't imagine homeschooling without being a reader yourself, especially not in the early grades where so much is reading to your child as they learn to read!

 

I loaned her Cathy Duffy's book and the newest Rainbow catalog, and I hope she finds something that works for her.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Dmmetler2

[NanceXToo]

I have two bookcases in my computer room, both of which are full of books for my kids. I have one of those 'ottoman' things where the top comes off for storage inside filled with 'little kid books' for my preschooler. My daughter has an egg crate full of books up in her bedroom, my son has a rocking chair/glider with pockets stuffed with books in his bedroom, and I have my personal bookcase stuffed to the brim in my bedroom- and we make regular visits to the library for books to borrow.

 

I can't imagine not having plenty of books in your home for your kids!

[Lightly Salted]

Oh, I understand! I do have one friend who teaches PS that keeps bookshelves in the playroom and has filled the entire linen closet with books! Most of my friends (and family), though, are way lacking in kids (or adult) books! :(

[amydavis]

I have a book addiction! I have a couple of friends that also have good book collections, but for the most part, I don't notice people collecting as many as we do.

 

I grew up in a home that strongly valued books. My best memories from childhood include going to the used bookstore with my mom, and also the library. I remember putting myself on the waiting list at the elementary school library for a book that had just come out. It was going to be weeks. After I happened to mention it in passing to my mom, a trip was made to Walden Books, and I had my own copy. She just wasn't one to have her child that excited over a book, and not be able to read it for weeks! Oh, and we always ordered a ton from those Scholastic flyers. I LOVED when those came out at school. LOL.

 

We have our books shelved by subject matter, but I always have a basket out. I put books to match the holiday, or the season, out when it's appropriate. I am getting ready to paint our interior hallway and add some of those famous gutter shelves, so I can rotate out some of dd6's books.

 

So, if you're weird, you've got a lot of company with my family. Ds10 does not leave the house without one or two books. He also BEGS to go to Barnes and Noble. My hubby keeps a few books on his end table; he tends to have more than one going at a time. I keep finding miscellaneous books out in the den, typically scientific in nature. I finally discovered that it was ds10, who just wanted to do some reading up on the solar system, or weather, or whatever! LOL. I LOVE it! Our girls enjoy the books as well. Our oldest seems to keep a book going and the little one is typically going around asking people to read to her. We can spend at least an hour browsing in the used book store. You get the picture! Oh, and our library's used book sale is coming up! I can't wait! (And my kids will be so jealous if they don't get to go, so I am guessing it will be a family affair!)

[LaissezFaire]

Our house has books on every available surface and my kids go through a couple books a day so I completely get what you are saying. I can never understand it when I see no books in people's homes.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

we have books everywhere. I've resorted to storing our future Sonlight books in the linen closet. There's just no other space. In the basement, we have 4 bookshelves, including two that have books stored 3 deep. I counted more than 1,000 books in one of those bookshelves once. Just one bookshelf!

In the diningroom/school room, the books are stored on the floor because the bookshelves are overflowing.

 

My DD has a friend who came over for the first time last week. That friend's home is spotless and has no books whatsoever. She was in for a shock when she got here.

[kewb]

You can't walk in my house without tripping over a book or three. I love my books. My kids have friends who read and friends who don't. I have friends that have designated book sections in their homes. The books do not cross into non-book land. The same is true of the toys in those homes. I couldn't live like that but it works for them.

[Perry]

When my kids were younger we had books galore. Then we moved, and I swore I'd never move that many boxes of books again in my life. I kept a few bookshelves full, but got rid of everything I never planned to read again.

 

Ever since, the only books I buy are things we'll use as reference or things we want to mark up. Otherwise, it comes from the library or I put it on the Kindle.

 

We're still big readers but if you walked through my house you might not know it.

[m0mmaBuck]

I grew up in a house with very few books beyond the set of encyclopedias my parents had bought in the 60s when my older siblings were in school. I read them all for lack of anything else to read. I do remember using the school and public library as well as the summer bookmobile (anyone else remember those?). My parents encouraged reading but didn't feel the need to own what we could borrow.

 

Conversely, we have a lot of books in our house. That said, DD4 and I are the only two in the house who seem interested in books. DSS18 just read "The Road" and it's the first book I've seen him read voluntarily in 2 years. Last week was the first time DS8 read anything over the summer and it was only to get out of doing school light. DH will read a camera or photography manual on occasion but only the few pages that apply directly to what he is trying to accomplish.

 

Easy access to a lot of books does not necessarily create avid readers. My childhood home and my current home are proof of that.

 

I don't think a house needs to be loaded with books to encourage reading as long as people have access

[EKS]

I'll tell you where they are: they're at my house. All of them! It's becoming a problem, actually.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Otherwise, it comes from the library or I put it on the Kindle.

 

Yes! The biggest attraction of these electronic readers is the lack of required bookshelf !

It's getting to be quite high on my priority list, to be honest... But DH says he doesn't want to read on it, and he's the biggest culprit when it comes to 'worthless' book buying...

[Pretty in Pink]

WHERE are all the books?

 

My house! :lol:

 

My son has always been in love with service manuals and technical books. He doesn't even care if they are for things that are totally outdated. My neighbor gave him an old Windows 95 book. He reads it in bed every night. :lol:

 

LOL!

 

I don't get it either, but that's how it was in my home growing up. We had exactly one small shelf of children's books that was not added to past the age of 5 or so. The most advanced thing on that shelf was Dr. Suess. I'm not kidding.

 

I give books as gifts and so do my kids; unfortunately, they are not always well-received.

[joannqn]

I used to have quite a few books before I had kids, but then we slowly ran out of room in this small house. I'm down to one bookshelf. The top shelf has in-bins like you'd see on a desk for the kids' notebooks and paper. The next three shelves have curriculum or reference books. The last shelf has kid books for my preschooler. I have a small basket of board books for my infant. It would seem that there are practically no books here, especially for a homeschooler. I just don't have the space so I've opted, instead, to keep a basket of library books. When they've read the library books, it's time to go to the library to get more. Despite not having kids books in the house, my kids are big readers.

[mommaduck]

Over 1500 books here and the kids still insist on going to the the library LOL! No wii, no playstation...just a computer and basic Dish Network. That's it. I promised hubby I would get rid of some of the books if he got me a Nook.

 

I would love to point out the contradiction of that teacher in the op.

[CalicoKat]

I'm just wondering something....

 

We go over to friends' homes, neighbors homes' who all have kids. There's never any kids' books. Not on shelves, baskets, or anything.

 

There are NO kids books lying around.

I asked one friend, who is a TEACHER, where she stores all of her 6 kids' books...

 

You're not gonna believe her response. They buy the kids a book each at the school book fair, but the rest of the books are read during the school year (whatever their teachers assign them to read).

 

And that's it.

No extras.

And you should know-- she spent last school year complaining that teh schools are lowering the required reading for the kids in her school. So now the kids are required to read 1 book a month for the school year.

 

Ok, so she has 6 kids and is tired. LOL

 

 

I asked another neighbor who has 2 kids. Where do you store books, and what do your kids like? (I'm always looking for good book suggestions).

Her answer?

The kids don't care to read on their "spare time". They prefer to play playstation and wii instead.

 

 

ok.

 

 

I asked another neighbor, with 2 kids.

They aren't a "reader" family, since one child has dyslexia. So they watch tv and movies instead.... (my son has dyslexia too, it never stopped us!)

 

 

I know it's summer. We're ALOT more relaxed in the summer. But I have books EVERYWHERE. And when the kids are "bored" I tell them to do chores or read. And they do. It all goes around our schedule, some weeks are crazy and some are very slow. :D

 

It's what I grew up with, and I assumed most families kept books around for kids to read.

 

Am I the crazy one here?

My books aren't out in the open here either. Only because I got tired of putting them back on the shelf and getting yelled at for destroying their book buildings.

 

There are 3 bookshelves in my bedroom. And Two huge bookshelves in our school room. :D

 

The kids each have a pile on the floor by their beds for night time reading.

 

Book buildings are constructed with encyclopedias only these days.

[MotherGoose]

NO, you are not crazy! Our house is filled with books, and my oldest is only 4. Not to mention MY books that fill the house too. A lack of books is a big part of the problem

[Pippen]

I used to have quite a few books before I had kids, but then we slowly ran out of room in this small house. I'm down to one bookshelf. The top shelf has in-bins like you'd see on a desk for the kids' notebooks and paper. The next three shelves have curriculum or reference books. The last shelf has kid books for my preschooler. I have a small basket of board books for my infant. It would seem that there are practically no books here, especially for a homeschooler. I just don't have the space so I've opted, instead, to keep a basket of library books. When they've read the library books, it's time to go to the library to get more. Despite not having kids books in the house, my kids are big readers.

 

I have a friend who has always been a big reader. Growing up she had very few books but her parents were college professors and they used the library extensively. As an adult she's constantly reading but prefers not to reread books or store them so she rarely buys them.

[Earth Angel_79]

Books are slowly overtaking our lives too! I want them available just about everywhere so that the kids have ample opportunity to read!! We frequent the library too (used to get even more when I worked there....I couldn't seem to come home for the night without a small stack), but lately I have a greedy need to OWN the books.

SO incredibly sad when I see a house where there aren't books. :(

[tangomoon]

We're huge book fans, here. Both kids have a 3 shelf bookcase in their rooms, take books to bed with them, and yes, it gets overwhelming at times keeping them halfway neat.

 

Book baskets, book shelves, and book piles throughout the rest of the house. And that's after we've downsized MANY books. When we both taught at a small charter school out in AZ, we scoured thrift stores and yard sales to make sure there were books in the classroom.

 

But we've also got a healthy dose of technology as well. :)

[Daisy]

I'm just wondering something....

 

We go over to friends' homes, neighbors homes' who all have kids. There's never any kids' books. Not on shelves, baskets, or anything.

 

There are NO kids books lying around.

I asked one friend, who is a TEACHER, where she stores all of her 6 kids' books...

 

You're not gonna believe her response. They buy the kids a book each at the school book fair, but the rest of the books are read during the school year (whatever their teachers assign them to read).

 

And that's it.

No extras.

And you should know-- she spent last school year complaining that teh schools are lowering the required reading for the kids in her school. So now the kids are required to read 1 book a month for the school year.

 

Ok, so she has 6 kids and is tired. LOL

 

 

I asked another neighbor who has 2 kids. Where do you store books, and what do your kids like? (I'm always looking for good book suggestions).

Her answer?

The kids don't care to read on their "spare time". They prefer to play playstation and wii instead.

 

 

ok.

 

 

I asked another neighbor, with 2 kids.

They aren't a "reader" family, since one child has dyslexia. So they watch tv and movies instead.... (my son has dyslexia too, it never stopped us!)

 

 

I know it's summer. We're ALOT more relaxed in the summer. But I have books EVERYWHERE. And when the kids are "bored" I tell them to do chores or read. And they do. It all goes around our schedule, some weeks are crazy and some are very slow. :D

 

It's what I grew up with, and I assumed most families kept books around for kids to read.

 

Am I the crazy one here?

 

I run into the exact same thing. No one reads in this town. Our libraries are now open only 2 days a week. We have 16% unemployment and some of the lowest higher education rates in the country. I wonder why (eyes rolling).

[SilverMoon]

Visit more homeschoolers. :p In our living room we have a stuffed to the max bookshelf behind the comfy chair, a big ole stack of The Children's Hour books (encyclopedia sized) and many library books on the end table, beside the end table is a large basket overflowing with "little kid" books, half of the cabinet under the telly is stuffed with books, and knowing my kids there are about a dozen more dripped around the room somewhere. Each kid room has a shelf for books too; they usually have the appearance of being well-loved (translate: used frequently and messy). I swear their mattresses leak books too. :tongue_smilie:

[Crissy]

 

It's what I grew up with, and I assumed most families kept books around for kids to read.

 

Am I the crazy one here?

 

 

Maybe a home without books is what they grew up with.

That was the case in my family home.

 

I do have a significant number of books now, but I don't think it's odd in any way that other people have different habits or interests.

[Snickerdoodle]

Then we moved, and I swore I'd never move that many boxes of books again in my life.

 

Having moved many, many times in my adult life I can so relate to this.

 

During one move we had the movers ask us, "why are these boxes so heavy?" :001_huh:

[Guest]

Our kids bookshelves are exploding with books! We are actually going to buy more because they won't fit. My dad gave our kids money when he visited (a few days ago) and they they wanted to go to Gamestop, Barnes & Noble, and the "Hello Kitty Store". Anytime we go to the mall, they have to go to Barnes & Noble, but they don't always go to Gamestop. They buy several books and finish at least one per day. I can't keep up with them!

[FO4UR]

I didn't have many books as a child...and my mom even told she regretted not reading to me more when I was young. That's probably why I err on the completely other end of the spectrum.:D

 

We have a small library in our basement.:001_wub: The kids all have piles of books upstairs...I continually weed them out and take books back down stairs and they continually go downstairs and "shop" for "new" books for their pile. ds7 is (probably) dyslexic...he's a slow-to-blossom reader for sure (so I don't buy excuses LOL), and his top bunk is lined with books from Treasure Island to Horton Hears a Who.

 

All 3 of my dc bring me books to read aloud on a regular basis...we don't do TV except for special occasions (like when Daddy is in charge:tongue_smilie:).

 

We are weird. I'm OK with that!:001_smile:

[Ellie]

When I was growing up, my books were at the school library. :-) I had a few that were given to me, and some paperbacks that I bought through the school book club, but that's it.

[Penelope]

When I was growing up, my books were at the school library. :-) I had a few that were given to me, and some paperbacks that I bought through the school book club, but that's it.

 

Me, too. I was always reading. I remember asking for books for gifts--ones by an author I liked that my school or public library didn't have.

[OnTheBrink]

We have lots of books, too. I have 2 72"x25" book cases in the living room, 3 smaller book cases in my bedroom, and dd has a 4' bookcase in her room. Still, I have piles of books on the end tables and on the sofa.

 

One of my best friends has book cases in her living room, dd's room, school room and down her hallway, as well as in her basement! I love going to her house! LOL

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I can't walk two steps around my house without toppling a pile of books. :) This quote is our household theme, LOL:

 

"I am a product [...of] endless books. My father bought all the books he read and never got rid of any of them. There were books in the study, books in the drawing room, books in the cloakroom, books (two deep) in the great bookcase on the landing, books in a bedroom, books piled as high as my shoulder in the cistern attic, books of all kinds reflecting every transient stage of my parents' interest, books readable and unreadable, books suitable for a child and books most emphatically not. Nothing was forbidden me. In the seemingly endless rainy afternoons I took volume after volume from the shelves. I had always the same certainty of finding a book that was new to me as a man who walks into a field has of finding a new blade of grass." ~C.S. Lewis

 

My younger sister doesn't have children, but all her friends have bunches. She visited her friend, a homeschooling mom of 5, and wanted to help calm down one of the rambunctious boys by reading to him. She found a small shelf of all their 'school' stuff, and that's it. She visited another friend, a mother of two and outspoken public school teacher (she thinks homeschooling is child abuse). Shannon offered to help get the daughter to bed and went to find a bedtime storybook. She found two books. One was a Disney princess book and the other was a joke book the mother had when she was little.

 

I, too, give books as gifts.

 

Oh, and we use the library, too, but that means that there is always a huge bag, basket, or table stack of library books hanging around the house...

[iquilt]

As a kid we didn't have the space or money for a lot of books but we were constantly at the library. Each kid had his/her own library cards and between the five members of our family we always had plenty of books around to read. Now my three each have bookshelves in their rooms, plus every other room of our house! I'm considering a wall of bookshelves for our front living room to accomodate our growing stash, but on the other hand I could use the chance to purge books to make room for more. I don't want to get buried in books but we don't have any electronic reading devices either.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Wow, thats... not good. I have 8 bookshelves just in our living room. Then there is the library basket, that now overflows into stacks, and piles. Then my dd have a book shelf in their room, and we have 3 in our old classroom (that we fast out grew, hmmm maybe to many books? :lol:)

[Punchie]

I grew up in a family of readers. Both of my parents have rooms full of books (when we moved, the vast majority of our boxes held books). We'd make weekly trips to the library. We have a lot of books as well. We'd have more, but we did some heavy weeding before we moved from NJ to NE. Still, the majority of our boxes held books. Subjects run the gamit as well. DH and I read extensively. We try to instill that into our ODD as well. I'm on her 3rd bookshelf (she's 4) b/c she had too many books for the previous ones. I've slowed down on buying at the moment and am trying to use our library more frequently (will check out 20-30 books at a time). I'll buy books the way others would buy clothes or cds or whatnot. I can't walk into a bookstore without spending too much.

 

Once DH and I settle down for good, we both want to have a dedicated library room in our house. Then we won't have to prune our book collection periodically.

 

I'm also in the "book giver club" when it comes to presents. If you have a child, 9 times out of 10, said child will be getting a book.

I grew up in a family of readers. Both of my parents have rooms full of books (again, when we moved, the vast majority of our boxes held books). We'd make weekly trips to the library.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

On another board I frequent people asked for book suggestions for their young children who were learning how to read. One of the regulars (PS K teacher) responded that she didn't think books were worthwhile for young kids. That the parent shouldn't try to help their kids with reading, they should leave it to the teacher. And if a parent really wanted to work with them, they should just write down some words and have them say the words.

 

I was floored. She is the same person that moans often about parents not being involved with their education.

 

:svengo:

[AHASRADA]

Interesting thread. I, too, am dismayed at how few books my SIL has at her house, but there are virtually no toys either. She simply doesn't tolerate any clutter, and prefers her children borrow books from the school library, watch TV, play Wii and go to the park on their bikes, all activities that don't create clutter.

 

Most of our non-homeschooling family and friends are immigrants who are not used to having a lot of kid items in general (and who grew up with virtually no toys or books of their own), and whose cultural background makes a neat and uncluttered home, ready for guests at any moment, the norm.

 

I must admit I have always played the part of the smug martyr, drowning under books and toys, running like a maniac to put the house together before guests arrive, all because I (unlike my friends with perfectly neat homes) value my children's development over a clean house. When I stand in amazement of how spacious and calming their homes are, I tell myself that I have sacrificed that peace in favor of my kids having access to a wide variety of educational supplies, etc.

 

However, the stuff is getting to the point of smothering all of us, and some of it has to go! I used to collect books, keeping those I have already read, in order to lend them out to others, sometimes just for the satisfaction of knowing I own them. I finally decided, if we are finished with a book, it is unlikely we will reread it, or it's easily found at the library, and it is not a favorite to pass down to younger kids or grandkids, then it needs to go.

 

So yes, it is important to have books (and toys) in a home, but not beyond those your family will actually read, and not to the point that your home becomes a clutter-filled pool of quicksand. Ah, the elusive balance...

[QueenRainbow]

I can't imagine not having books around. In my mom's living room one whole wall is a bookshelf filled with books, plus my sister and I had our own shelves in our room. My son has his own bookshelf in his room but we need a bigger one since he has too many books for it. The TV is on in the living room from the time we get up to the time we go to bed, and yes even my 3 yr old has one in his room that he is only allowed to watch PBS kids and Nick Jr on. We also have a PS2 and a Wii. But we read ALL the time! I even got my husband on the book reading bandwagon. Before we got married he didn't read at all and now he reads more than I do I think. (He's a truck driver and reads while he's waiting for loads, etc)

 

His parents got him a book for Christmas that he's been wanting (the new Stephen King book, but hey at least he's reading right?) and his brother was shocked and was like "you read?!?"