I’ve seen many parents get caught in a trap where they basically do whatever it is their kids are doing. This isn’t bad because they know what page their kids are on, but it’s not great to do on the whole because parents need to do what they like as well.
My oldest daughter and I talk a lot. One of our discussions that comes up on a regular basis lately is how adults like things that kids think are boring, and vice versa. For adults, talking is equivalent to playing and going to a restaurant is like going to a park. Running, jumping, and diving are exercise, which is necessary for our health, but not fun.
On top of this, I like to add in reading. My oldest daughter likes to read and I think my other kids will, too, but what can be a trap for parents is when the only thing they read is the books on their kids’ shelves for bedtime.
Parents need to find something for them to enjoy on their own level.
Newspapers and Magazines are Great for Non-Readers
People may say they don’t like to read, but what I find is that they just don’t have a favorite author. However, people do like to read about things they enjoy.
Reader’s Digest is a great periodical for a few laughs and light articles. Taste of Home offers great recipes to those who love to cook and bake. I have a subscription to a bi-monthly intellectual magazine called Mental Floss. It’s full of fairly useless, and pretty interesting information. On top of this, I read books, too.
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Books are a Great Escape
Currently, I’m reading a book called Adventures Among Ants, which is incredibly interesting. Anyone who likes ants will be amazed at just how fascinating the different species can be between those who hunt en masse, others who behave independently, and one ant that can actually blow itself up, killing its attacker in order to prevent others from being hurt.
An added bonus for me about this book is that the author talks about all of these places I’ve never thought of visiting, like the Botanical Gardens in Singapore.
I have time to read because I make the time, and so should you. People who read one book a year are likely to pass up some really great ones because with so little time going to books, it would be a shame to read something that wasn’t a guaranteed winner.
So, parents who don’t read but like to find themselves reading Are you There, Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea, which will be entertaining, but they miss out on so many other great books like The Five People You Meet in Heaven, which was so much better than I thought it would be, and was even great as a movie, or intellectual reading, like The Communist Manifesto. Before reading it, I knew I hated Communism, but I did so out of ignorance. Now that I’ve read it, I actually know what I’m talking about.
When Mom or Dad Read, it’s Good for the Kids
I believe that little girls grow up to marry a man like their father in many cases. Boys grow up to be just like him. And mom’s role is unmistakably important.
When parents are reading their children will see that reading can be fun, and, perhaps, what it is that adults do.
On top of this, a person who reads will likely be more educated on a number of topics. Having read a book like War and Remembrance, I feel like I truly understand Zionism as well as how ignorant Americans were to the plight of European Jews in WWII. Having read Wings of Madness about Alberto Santos-Dumont, I know that the Wright Brothers were not the first people to fly an aircraft, just the first Americans.
Parents pass on their ideas and beliefs to their kids. These ideas come from their surrounding influences, whether its cable news, talk radio, or reading. Reading is so valuable because it’s much more active and deliberate.
