How much reading is too much?

[Redlass]

This is a bad question for me, because I've always been a bookworm. My parents took pictures of me on beaches while vacationing where I'm sitting in my bathing suit reading a book. Fortunately for me, they never saw reading as much of a problem.

Yet, I've heard other parents argue that too much reading can inhibit the social skills of a child. One of my friends even took away reading for pleasure from her child as a punishment for another issue (though, the issue did involve books and the child reading books that had been forbidden her). She said she needed to get the child's attention and forbidding her to read for pleasure was one way. I have to agree with her--it would have gotten my attention too! (I should mention that the punishment was for a limited period of time. It started out as five days, but a day got added every time there was a transgression--such as reading when she wasn't supposed to. She did not completely forbid reading for pleasure forever.) The mother also pointed out that the child doesn't take advantage of opportunities to make friends because the child is busy reading.

What do you think? Is too much reading as harmful as too much television?

[Grouch]

Well, I'm biased, of course.
But I shout out a resounding NO!
With the exception that if the child is reading to the exclusivity of all other social activity. In other words, the kid literally locks him/herself in the bedroom and refuses to come out until he/she has read all of Proust. That sort of thing. Kids need balance and I would probably start to worry if my child started withdrawing completely from the "real world." Then again, that's what happens a lot of the time with kids sitting entranced in front of the chatterbox TV.

As for punishing by taking away reading...funny you should ask. That very thing happened to me as a 12-year-old. My father had said I couldn't go farther than a certain spot downtown when I was out riding my bike. One evening, I went two blocks beyond that boundary. The consequence? No books for three weeks. And this was in the summer, mind you. I think my father finally relented and lifted the punishment after about a week, when he found me in my room, curled into a pale-white shivering, quivering fetal position on the floor.

I still bear the scars of that Week Without Books. It's painful for me to even think about it. And thank you very much for bringing it up. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?

[Redlass]

Here, step closer:



I know I would have had trouble surviving that punishment. Indeed, the child mentioned had already had four days added to the punishment for sneaking reads of Anne of Avonlea amongst other things (and this was during the summer too).

Early in their marriage, my mom once got so furious with my dad that she took his collection of Lincoln books and threw them out on the lawn.

We book people are awfully vulnerable, aren't we?

[pluckyduck]

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that is wrong with "too much" television is that it can take away from reading time.

No, no, no, no.... there is no such thing as too much reading.

Now, can it inhibit the social skills of a child? Well, yeah, I mean where did the stereotype "bookworm" come from?

I was a nerdy little bookworm girl who read one book a day for most of my childhood. I read all of Dr. Doolittle while sitting on the john at home one afternoon (man, did that leave marks!) and, yeah, my social skills were a mess up until I got into my late teens.

Who cares? I recovered, and I'm a very happy person.

The best socialization I did was with other bookworm kids. My friend Claire and I spent whole summers together, reading books, not talking while other kids frolicked outside.

Some of my best memories.

Andrea

[pageclot[$]]

I certainly read a lot as a child, but don't remember anyone minding. Benefit of coming from a family with 4 children, I suppose.

I come from a reading family. My father has read a ton of books, same with my mom. My older brother has 4 or 5 bookcases of sci-fi/fantasy type books, and I'm sure I've read most of them.

I don't remember it ever holding me back, socially. I still had plenty of time to explore the outdoors, ride my bike along trails, play in the sandbox, etc etc. I had friends.

One time I remember reading excessively was up at my Grandmother's, where I stayed one summer. She had a pile of Reader's Digests, and I knew hardly anyone up where she lived, so riding your bike around a small town gets boring after a while.

I would read until I got these wicked headaches.

Balance is important.

p

[emeleel]

I used to read all the time, too! At night by the light of the security light outside the window, on the bus, at school in my lap during classes, etc.

My mom used to try the "you're grounded from reading" trick, too, but it never worked. You see, I'm not only a read-aholic, I'm a TV-aholic. She never took away both things at once. If she took away books, I'd watch TV. If I was grounded from the TV, I'd read books. I was happy a lark and happily thumbing my nose (figuratively speaking) the whole time!

[pluckyduck]

My Mom would send me to her room... no books, no TV.

I read the phone book, and was quite happy.

Andrea
who is not making this up

[KateTPZ]

I would never prohibit reading - I was a bookworm (who also had a lot of friends) and I've grown up to have good social skills.

Seriously, I don't let my kids eat junk (most of the time) and eating other than at meal time is limited to fruits and veggies. I also don't let them watch much TV - but they can read any time they want. I'd no sooner punish them by taking away books than I would by saying "no more fruit or vegetables!"

[dancingpotato]

My mom let me read as a kid- all I wanted. I read a lot. I read 100 hundred books in the time it took my classmates to read ten (sadly, I'm not making this up).

The outcome?

I read books that my friends faint upon seeing. I'm only fourteen (so my friends are, naturall, fourteen) but my friends need two weeks to read 200 pages. Some of them still read (out loud) at a 4th or 5th grade level.

So yes. Make your kids read. If they want to read, let them be. You'll thank us when they graduate college with flying colors.

(Note: in no way am I saying that, aside from my friends, kids who don't read are idiots. My friends also have a couple of other factors that make them idiots. And yet they remain my friends. And yet I'm ranting.)

[CANS4US]

...the only BAD reading is reading you DO NOT DO! :-) In was an early reader...reading at the age of 4 because I begged my Mom to "teach Susie to see words!" She did and I have been happily reading ever since. My Husband and I both have tried to set good examples of reading for our kids through reading ourselves and I think we have succeeded....you decide!

Our 3 year old awakens early every morning but doesn't call us to let him out (he has a child lock on the doorknob so he won't venture out too early! :-) ) Anyway, when we do go to get him, he is always found admist a sea of books, which he has been happily "reading" to himself! Now, does THAT sound like someone who reads TOO much or does it sound like someone who LIKES to "read"........the last I think!

Seriously though, I don't think anyone can read TOO MUCH.......relax, reading doesn't hurt it ONLY helps!

Take care......and relax!

Susan

[Lisa_J]

but I certainly thought that was joke!!!! I cannot believe a parent would be concerned about the amount of reading a child does!