Reading Guilt

"Read aloud to your children and they will become great readers."

Have you heard this message? It's everywhere. Schools, libraries, even homeschool blogs proclaim this optimistic message from the rooftops! It sounds so simple, such a no-brainer, obviously true ... But is it? "Of course, it is!" They all shout. "All the studies show that children who are read to have a much greater chance of becoming good adult readers." True, but a link does not necessarily indicate the cause. For instance: There is a very strong correlation between retail ice cream sales and summer murder rates. Given this information, we should all probably steer clear of ice cream. 😉 Let's look a little deeper.

I would really like to know more about the parents of the children that were studied. What about their socio-economic backgrounds? What kinds of jobs did they hold? What about their education levels? Were they good readers themselves?

I asked my siblings, "Do you remember being read to?" Not one of us does, but we all are very good readers. Our parents were also good readers and involved in occupations that required a high comprehension rate. 

My kids were read to, mostly by their dad who was able to sound out words and make sense of picture books, but who had little to no comprehension when reading books that had no pictures until he was in his 30s. I didn't read much to them when they were little because although I had a very high comprehension rate, I lacked phonics skills to be able to sound out words and translate them into spoken English. Weird, I know, but for me, reading was a foreign language that I didn't translate well. I digress ... As a homeschooler, I learned phonics along with them and 2 of them became such voracious readers that I actually had to ban reading until other work had been done. The youngest, on the other hand, didn't learn to read until he was 12. It is still not one of his favorite activities. My youngest also had very similar interests to his father. 

Being able to read in our culture is pretty much a requirement. But is being able to read "well" a real requirement for success? My youngest is a truck driver. He can read well enough to study for the licenses he needs and to play on Facebook but that's about it. Is he a success? He loves his job and makes good money. And this boy can back a semi into an opening with just 6 inches to clear on either side. I couldn't do what he does. 

It seems to me that becoming a good reader has a whole lot more to do with what God has created us to be. Go ahead and read to your kids. It's a great way to build relationships! But don't get down on yourself if you don't have time or aren't a good reader yourself. Your kids will learn what they need to be who they are.

God Bless You All!

~ Grama Sue