Were you told bedtime stories as a child?

[demoleft]

"Bedtime stories a problem for many parents", reports The Guardian today.

"One in 10 parents struggle to understand the bedtime stories they read to their children, a survey by adult learning organisation Learndirect has found. Almost a quarter (23%) skip passages they cannot read or invent words to get to the end of a sentence, the poll found."

Notwithstanding difficulties, "the poll found that reading stories is enjoying a renaissance, with 73% of families preferring it to playing in the park or watching TV."

I'm sure my mother had some difficulties and surely enough she invented words and finals, if not whole passages.
I don't remember much of my childhood, who knows why. But I'm certain storytelling will always be the most immediate means of feeling communion between people in general and families in particular.

Something that simply makes one feel good before sleeping. If it's true now, that we're grown, it must have been true as we were children.

The link to article in The Guardian: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2133285,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

[skygazer]

1. It must be awful to have difficulty reading

It's got to limit a person in so many ways, even something as simple and intimate as reading their child a bedtime story. :(

Both my parents and all my siblings (I'm the youngest of 6) were readers and when I was little, there was always someone willing to read to me. When I was able to read myself, I remember reading stories to my dad or my mom if they were sick. Very nice of them to listen patiently to my stumbling and sounding out of words.

I have three kids and read to all of them and my oldest daughter reads to her kids. It really does get passed along.

[demoleft]

6. "I remember reading stories to my dad or my mom if they were sick"

...How beautiful...
I think I seldom did.

It would be now a very cherished memory for my parents during their moments of remembrance, as they get quietly old.
I suppose I missed a chance.

Thanks.

[AllegroRondo]

2. all the time

my daughter started with Dr Seuss and similar books. I was reading her the first Harry Potter book when she was 6 - one chapter a night.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

3. I picked out things for my parents to read

a children's bible, some Blake and Poe, Dahl and others

[triguy46]

4. No. But boy was that different for my kids.

Each of our kids got read to for up to an hour each evening before they went to be. A major part of the day for both parties.

[bleedingheart]

5. No..my mother made me listen to radio program that dealt with financial issues

it was the precursor of the Suze show that is on today...

So my fondest memories of childhood are listening to people call this guy (can't remember his name) asking if they should invest their life savings of ($5000) in the market...and how this guy would answer these folks...

My mother would later answer any questions I had and discuss these people's situations with me...

As for reading..I did that by myself...my mother was an avid reader but not so much outloud.

[malta blue]

7. Absolutely!

I had the best grandma EVAH (IMHO)


And she made up stories that she left off every night with a "to be continued" and picked right back up the next night. Each story lasted about a week or two. They were amazing. Stories about personified fish, field mice, piglets, you name it - she made up a story. She also told me all these stories in Spanglish...I helped her out on her english - she helped me out on my spanish....

I miss my grandma every single day!

[skygazer]

8. I remember that photo

What a beautiful woman! You can see the sparkle in her eyes.

[Lisa]

16. the "to be continued" type are the best kind!

I now realize that my dad was testing my memory and comprehension skills (those elementary schoolteacher habits die hard!) when he would pretend he'd forgotten where he'd left off in the story, or alter details and see if I'd remember to correct him.

[BarenakedLady]

9. No, we had prayers

Our Father one and one we made up where we blessed everyone in the family including pets by name. Sometimes the list got ridiculously long depending on how much I was procrastinating going to sleep. :) My parents were/are prolific readers though and both my brother and I picked up that habit.

I do read stories to my kids most night. Though #1 daughter reads to herself before bed now.

[seemunkee]

10. Yes, and I loved reading to my kids

I read all of the Hans Christian Andersen stories, Ananzi stories, Uncle Remus stories, and folk tales from all over the world.
When we first moved in together I read stories to my wife.

[ThomCat]

11. I don't remember my parents ever reading us stories.

My mom read constantly, but it was to escape.

My dad never read anything but the newspaper.

Neither one ever read anything to us. I think that's part of reason why my brother always had difficulty reading, and probably still does.

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Yep - Mom always read me the Economist, and William Safire's columns or Heidegger.

Sigh. I miss those days.

[fizzgig]

13. every night

when i was a toddler, there were four or five books that i'd ask my parents to read me over and over and over (i still have them all, too). when i was two, i went to visit my grandparents and grandpa was convinced i could read because i had one of them memorized :D

if i ever have children, i will read to them every night

[Lisa]

14. the stories my dad told me were not written down ...

They would be traditional Japanese folktales that he probably got from his parents (who were functionally illiterate, even in their own language) -- or his own experiences growing up in the BC wilderness in the 1930s, and the internment camps during the war. And sometimes he would tell me about some of the students he had during the years -- I still remember the one about the girl who just could not do long division, until she decided that she wanted to learn how to be a pilot. Dad said that he met her, years after -- she had the job of ferrying new aircraft from the factory to the buyers.

[trof]

15. You betcha'. They all srarted "Wunce-uh-puh-nuh time".

;-)

[NewWaveChick1981]

17. Yes, all the time.

Mom and Dad both read to us frequently, and my siblings and I picked up reading skills at a very early age because of it. I hate to think that there are parents who struggle to read, but I know it's reality for many kids. My heart goes out to them. :hug: