Didn't I used to read harder books?

[enchantedhome]

Sigh. I got an MA in English Lit. I was an english teacher for a couple of years before I had my kids. Then I switched to staying at home once I had my first, and of course I was tired and my reading lightened way up and I moved through books less quickly. BUT. My kids are older, 9 and 7 now, and though we homeschool, I do have time each day to read. But I find that my attention span is nil (thanks, internets), and my comprehension has gone way down. I just feel dumb! Lol. Ok, I'm older now too, but seriously. I want to work back into reading good, solid stuff, but even relatively approachable things feel so hard. I can basically manage a Philippa Gregory novel, at best. Help! Commiserate! Offer me hugs and tell me my brain is still in there somewhere!

[Outdoorsy Type]

Have you tried a bit of exercise before you read? Reading in the bathtub? My mind is more engaged for reading after running or biking. I find that my problem is that my brain gets overstimulated and bogged down with life. I end up thinking about "stuff" and realize I haven't really read that last page.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Outdoorsy Type

[Bluegoat]

I have also found this, it is very disconcerting.  It even happens sometimes with books I have read before.

 

One of the things that has helped me is to do some more difficult reading with a group.  A few years ago I did an informal reading group led by one of my old university profs, and we also sometimes have some really substantial reading groups through my church.  It's motivating to have to keep up, but also the discussions and potential discussions seems to help get my mind working while I read.

 

 

[Wilma]

Have you read SWB's Well Educated Mind? She deals with how to read. I found that I'd become a bit of a skimmer, without ever trying (maybe wanting to squeeze in more pages before some kid catastrophe struck?). She advocates rereading, taking notes even in a narrative work and has lots of generally useful reading ideas. Plus a killer reading list.

 

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[DesertBlossom]

I feel this way. I started reading a history book about the area of the world where my husband is deployed. It says it was a bestseller. I felt like it was really hard to read and I kept thinking "normal people can understand this?" A lot of it was because I think the author assumed the reader had background knowledge that I definitely didn't. But doh. It made me feel dumb. I know I used to be smart.

[hornblower]

CBC Spark (a radio program about technology) did a very interesting segment on reading & what modern technology is doing to our ability to deep read.... It's an audio clip of 15 min. 

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/spark-251-1.2848260/scanning-and-skimming-1.2848263

[bettyandbob]

I don't have an MA in literature. I did do differential equations for fun. I wonder if I would recognize a problem today.

 

We have to practice old skills and we also need to challenge ourselves with new skills. And don't be hard on yourself. If you want to do this again, set aside time for it, as you would exercise. A little each day and don't expect to work as fast as you did in college. You will get better with the effort. I also think The Well Educated Mind is a good resource for this.

[EmseB]

I felt this way, so I started Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book". Which was somewhat helpful, but I never finished it because of life. So I'm back to square one.

[mamiof5]

I am on the total opposite spectrum. I was never read to, was never a strong reader, and having someone read to me puts me to sleep (it still does, have to fight it every day).

 

So, now I read more than what I have read in my entire life. Probably not super hard stuff, but it's ok...better than nothing 😉

[kewb]

When I was younger I had time and fewer responsibilities. I could sit and digest and live and breathe the book.

 

I no longer have that kind of attention span or time. When I sit down to read I want to escape from my reality not think deep thoughts. So hand me my fluff and let me escape.

[Stacia]

:grouphug: :grouphug:  You can do it. Yes, your brain is still there!

 

Come join us on the Book-A-Week threads. (You don't have to read a book a week.) We have all kinds of readers there & various book discussions, etc.... Maybe it would be a fun way to get back into the habit of reading.

 

Another thing that helped me was getting set up on Goodreads. I like tracking what I read & I can see what I've read, how much, etc....

[Alte Veste Academy]

CBC Spark (a radio program about technology) did a very interesting segment on reading & what modern technology is doing to our ability to deep read.... It's an audio clip of 15 min.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/spark-251-1.2848260/scanning-and-skimming-1.2848263

This gets my vote too. A while back I read The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, which was a wake up call for sure.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393339750

 

I also think that coming out of the season of raising younger kids required retraining, as I needed to readjust to having (slightly) longer periods of time alone to focus more deeply.

[enchantedhome]

I think this is true: 

I also think that coming out of the season of raising younger kids required retraining, as I needed to readjust to having (slightly) longer periods of time alone to focus more deeply.

 

I feel like it's a muscle I have to re-engage. Every time I sit down to read, my mind wanders, I can't concentrate, the book feels hard, and I give up. I have started and failed to finish at least 6 books recently. Just flat out gave up because it felt like work, and not like the pleasure it used to be.

[medawyn]

You are not alone. Am MA in English and an MA in liberal arts/great books here, and the stuff I read now is just embarrassing. I'm hopeful that when I'm no longer up at night with littles or run ragged with toddlers I will have the energy to rebuild my reading stamina.

[AnnE-girl]

I feel like this too. I came across some old college papers when I was going through some old boxes and I was amazed at my own past writing ability. I blame the Internet and life with kids. I'm constantly waiting to be interrupted, or remembering something that I should do. I have three (four if I'm including DH) other people to keep track of with schedules and meals and life, and not letting the little one play the dog dishes and it's mentally exhausting.

[zoobie]

I am so, so stupid now. I miss my brain. It got me through an English degree, graduate work, and law school. Now I can barely read a board book without stumbling.

[need2read]

I can commiserate. I used to be a voracious reader but now I'm so tired in the evening that I just can't do it. It's a bit of an identity crisis for me. I've been making an effort to spend less time on a device and that is helping. I have also given myself permission to just read a page or two at a time-I used to read an entire novel in an evening. I felt better about it when I finally got it through my head that it's ok to read slowly and take weeks or months to read a book.

 

 

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[Ausmumof3]

Yeah I think for me it's a little kids thing plus a bit of the Internet. I realise now that part of the reason why I would read an entire book on a sitting is I tend to lose the thread if I put it down. Now I rarely have those long stretches of uninterrupted reading.

[bethben]

It takes me a good 1/2 hour to read more in depth books.  I have to remember where I was in the story and pick up the pace again.  Rarely do I get an uninterrupted 1/2 hour to read - much less on a regular basis which is what you would need to read a really meaty book.  I go from kids kids kids all day to dh at night (who is this social guy who hasn't talked to anyone much all day).  So, I tend to read stuff on the internet which is short and to the point and I don't become the wicked witch of the west when interrupted.  I have checked SWB's book out of the library multiple times with the intent to start doing that program only to realize that I really have no time to actually learn anything or read anything of substance. It's sad really.  I've become really picky though about what I read aloud to my kids.  It has to be good quality so at least I'm engaging my brain somewhat.

[Ravin]

Law school kind of ruined my brain for reading fiction. My attention span is in the toilet, too. I've only just started re-stretching those muscles, and it takes me weeks to get through a book that I'd have devoured in a day or two when I was in my teens/early 20's (and before kids).

[Kareni]

 

Come join us on the Book-A-Week threads. (You don't have to read a book a week.) We have all kinds of readers there & various book discussions, etc.... Maybe it would be a fun way to get back into the habit of reading.

 

Seconding the suggestion to join the Book-a-Week thread.  It's a great place to share about whatever you choose to read and to learn about other books.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Elfknitter.#]

Interesting. I doubt men sit around wondering if they have "teh dumb" after their wives have children.

 

OP, like any mom, you probably have a lot going on. I am a librarian and I don't/ barely read. Yep. I am not ashamed. I read my fill of Mo Willem books lately. Used to be Margaret Wise Brown or listening to Grace Lin. Right now I have listened more to Christopher Paoloni's Inheritance series (4 long books) than I have read of Holly Black's Darkest Part of the Forest. Simply because I commute and listening is way easier than making time to sit and read.

 

Is that bad? Some would say yes. But whatever. At least audiobooks keep me engaged and I am accomplishing more reading than I would trying to sit and be constantly interrupted by life.

[displace]

I second car audiobooks (or audiobooks when you're doing something mindless around the house, like chores). They are usually engaging and sound good. Maybe you can not skip one at a high intellectual level, instead pick some topic that interests you. Or a topic that can help you homeschool deeper. There's a lot about history I'm learning that I never knew (I don't think I learned it before, but maybe I just forgot).

 

For me, it's about a constantly changing cycle of what new things I need to learn to function in my life. I don't read great literature, but I've been learning and expanding myself on other topics. Research isn't the same as deep reading so maybe that's not your goal, but it makes me feel "not stagnant" - or something :)

 

Also, for audiobooks in the car I'm choosing from the Mensa book list for kids. Some of the books I haven't read before, and some I have a new appreciation for as I'm older. Maybe that's an option as well.

Edited August 14, 2016 by displace

[G5052]

I also think that coming out of the season of raising younger kids required retraining, as I needed to readjust to having (slightly) longer periods of time alone to focus more deeply.

 

It will come back. Mine are nearly raised, and several years ago I noticed the same thing. I make sure that I always have a novel going now, and it came back. I don't have time for a book club and read at my own pace, usually finishing a novel every other week or so.

 

My doctor says that sort of thing is good for your brain!

[marbel]

I feel like this too. I came across some old college papers when I was going through some old boxes and I was amazed at my own past writing ability. I blame the Internet and life with kids. I'm constantly waiting to be interrupted, or remembering something that I should do. I have three (four if I'm including DH) other people to keep track of with schedules and meals and life, and not letting the little one play the dog dishes and it's mentally exhausting.

 

This is my problem.  I'll sit down to read, and then think "Oh, I need to take some food out of the freezer for dinner tonight!"  And then do that, and sit back down,read a page (or a paragraph) and... remember that I have to move laundry.  And on it goes. 

[Seasider]

I am so with you! It's kind of discouraging. I attribute it to spending time not only kid and house wrangling, but also to years of read alouds and reading time consumed by pre-reading young fiction before handing it off to a kid.

 

I have a stack of nonfiction, science based books I'd like to get through, but lately I keep setting them down in favor of a Grisham novel (large print edition, to boot).

[Lady Florida.]

When I was young and single and had plenty of time to read, I read mostly popular fiction - nothing really difficult. However, I was teaching full time and often came home from work exhausted and with a pile of papers that needed grading. Then I had a baby, then we decided to homeschool, and for years I continued to read only what I call brain candy books. Now that I'm closer to the Medicare/Social Security years I'm reading much harder books. 

 

The season of life you're in definitely determines how much you can read and the difficulty of your reading choices. Ds is done with school and for the last few years I was more of a facilitator than a homeschool teacher, so I've had more time. Age does make concentration harder, but you can train yourself to be more attentive to retain what you read.

 

You CAN get your brain back! Start slowly, start small. 

 

 

:grouphug: :grouphug:  You can do it. Yes, your brain is still there!

 

Come join us on the Book-A-Week threads. (You don't have to read a book a week.) We have all kinds of readers there & various book discussions, etc.... Maybe it would be a fun way to get back into the habit of reading.

 

Another thing that helped me was getting set up on Goodreads. I like tracking what I read & I can see what I've read, how much, etc....

 

 

Seconding the suggestion to join the Book-a-Week thread.  It's a great place to share about whatever you choose to read and to learn about other books.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Chiming in here to say I agree with Stacia and Karini. I've found Goodreads to be really helpful. You don't even have to get involved in the social aspect if you don't want to. I started out just using it to keep track of books I read and want to read. 

 

As for the Book-a-Week threads, they're totally non-judgmental. Also, whatever you like to read you'll probably find someone there who enjoys the same books or same genre. Be forewarned though. If you stick around the threads long enough your want-to-read list will grow and grow and grow. ;)

[HRAAB]

I can commiserate.  I'm embarrassed to admit what I spend most of my time reading.  Hopefully, my attention span, and my comprehension, will get back to where it was.  At first I blamed the kids.  Then I blamed menopause and the mushy brain, but I think I should be recovering.  Makes me wonder if I've moved directly from menopause into senility.