anyone else have a child that hates to read?

[Jeannie in NJ]

ok when I was 10 years old, I decided to start with the A's in my library and read 5 books a week (the max, that I could check out) and read pretty much every book in the library. And every place I have lived, the first thing I find out is where is the nearest library and even now I spend any free time I have reading.

So, how do I have a dd, age 14, who has always hated to read. She has always loved for me to read to her and still does but the only books (besides her required schoolwork) that she will read are books on baking, cake decorating, knitting, etc. She doesn't have any vision problems, she just says that she would rather listen to fiction from me than to read it . All my visions of my child comfy on the sofa reading great fiction to herself has not happened. Instead she is in the kitchen baking lol. Where did I go wrong? lol

[WTMindy]

All my visions of my child comfy on the sofa reading great fiction to herself has not happened. lol

 

How about just changing your visions to include you sitting on the sofa with her?! You get a chance to reread your old favorites!!

[elizam]

2 of mine hate to read. One is my 14yodd and the other is my 9yods. They both have dyslexic tendencies (no formal evaluation, though...can't afford it in my area). I love reading, and so does my oldest (15yods). So, I can't really blame myself for the others not liking it. It's just how they are wired. They are very active; that might be part of it. They rarely sit still for long!

[MIch elle]

including listening to a book read by others (mom, dad or audio). They both were voracious listeners of books at some point but haven't yet been into reading themselves. They read only what's assigned (they can read very well). :glare:

[jamnkats]

My 12yo was like this until very recently. I echo the other advice - keep reading to her. I have no idea what turned my 12yo into avoiding books to reading books until 2am so I can't help you there. I do read to both he and his 14yo brother daily though.

[Mandamom]

two who can read very well that don't like to read and two that love to read to the exclusion of all else. One of those that loves to read (16) is now trying to write a book.

[Cricket]

Yep. My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is to curl up with a cup of tea and a great book. My 10 ds hates to read. Really hates it. I can't get him interested in anything. He would much rather mow the lawn, build something, even clean his bedroom than read. He is very hands-on. Last week he started Little House on the Prairie. It's an easy read but I don't care because it is the only book I have ever seen him not mind reading. Maybe there is hope after all! You know, the world needs doers too. We all can't sit around reading when there is work to be done. :001_smile:

[Gretchen in NJ]

Mine did until I started to pay them to read. Now, they love to read :D and I am poor.:glare:

[motherofjoy]

Hate is a strong word.

 

Reading is an interest based activity, just like everything else. It doesn't interest her, right now, but she may develop more of an interest in her own time. In the meantime, allow her to listen to recorded books, if she wants. Only one of my many children really likes to read for fun, the others have many other enriching activities they enjoy. I do require a certain amount of assigned reading, and hope that what is now a chore becomes a desire some day. If it doesn't, I'll live.

[newbie]

My dd didnt like to read, until she found books she enjoyed(fantasy). Just have to find a niche, maybe.

 

But now my dd reads now voraciously, she can gobble a book up almost faster than me. Scary.

 

But, I would take one dd baker, or cook, but have none.

[RoughCollie]

All my visions of my child comfy on the sofa reading great fiction to herself has not happened. Instead she is in the kitchen baking lol. Where did I go wrong? lol

 

Send her here. She likes to bake; I like to eat. :D

 

I don't think you did anything wrong. My brother grew up in a family of voracious readers, and my mom could only get him to read nonfiction books about hunting and other outdoor activities. When he became an adult, he'd read fiction while in deer stands to alleviate boredom. Otherwise, he has always read books in order to learn how to do something.

 

Everyone in our family reads voraciously except for DD. She is very picky about the books she reads and when she reads them. Her rule is that she will read every night before she goes to sleep. Otherwise, she wants to be doing things, not sitting around reading about other people doing things. DS3 will not read fiction unless it is assigned for schoolwork, and then he complains. He has a huge collection of books he has read, all of them nonfiction books about baseball.

 

DH is a voracious reader, too. When he was a kid, he'd get into trouble for reading too much and not watching enough television! (TV was newer then, as DH is 59 years old.) His mother has read a lot since she got too old to physically do much, but before that, she was too busy doing things to sit down and read (she is a joiner, extremely extroverted).

 

So, IMO, whether someone is an avid reader depends more on the individual than on whether they are surrounded by people who love to read any time, anywhere, no matter how much the parents try to instill in them a love of reading.

 

RC

Edited October 24, 2008 by RoughCollie