BFTP: Warning to all parents - don't let your children grow up to be readers
Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 06:11AM Parents, let me give you some advice you need to act on now! If you wait too long, you will suffer.
Do not, under any circumstance, make readers out of your children. Here is the sad, but true story of the mistake I made. Let it be a warning to you....
I found my daughter, even as an infant, loved to be read to. Bedtime stories, middle of the day stories, stories read by grandparents - you name it, she ate it up. Cranky day - a little Scrawny Tawny Lion made things OK.
She started getting books as gifts. The ones she loved the most she saved. Why did I not see this early on?
She read before she started school and continued to read voraciously throughout school. I am ashamed to say, I encouraged this, insisting she have a book to read when we traveled. I was even proud of her high reading scores and interest she showed in books. And of course, she continued to collect more books.
When she started college, I should have realized, there was a problem. Her books came with her. Just a few boxes, but, hey, doesn't everyone have a few favorite books to keep around? I missed so many warning signs!
As college progressed, the book collecting habit grew worse. Each move to a new dorm room or apartment included a growing number of book boxes. Even if they weren't labeled you could tell them from the others - even the small ones were heavy as gold bullion. (And I don't remember her staying in any place that fewer than three flights of stairs to climb!)
In college, my daughter met a man who shared her obsession - another book collector. And now there are two grandchildren who seem to adding to the family book collection. OK, OK, I will admit that I've even give the grandsons a book or two, but come on!
As a father who spent the last couple days helping his daughter and her family move, I have to warn all parents to take action before it is too late. Turn your kids onto video games, e-books, even television watching. If you don't each move your children make means a visit to the chiropractors.
I am grateful that my beautiful daughter has never broken my heart.
But she has sure done some damage to my back!
Reader Comments (2)
LOL! Don't we wish that everyone shared this problem? OK, I have to admit that I get someone else to carry those boxes for me!
Hi Deb,
Yes, as problems go, it's a pretty good one to have in reality. My kids make me very proud of them both - despite their tendencies to collect!
Doug​