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AIBU?

To hate reading DS bedtimes stories!

84 replies

Dollyboo · 10/02/2013 19:33

I bloody hate it. Just want him in bed so I can relax and have me time!

OP posts:

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MrsMushroom · 10/02/2013 19:37

Yanbu. Some people here will flame you....but it's just not something everyone enjoys. I don't enjoy it...I HATE rhyming books more than any other.

Fecking witch and chips and stupid Gruffalo.

Having said that, I'm careful not to show that I hate it and I help things by insisting on no more than 2 books.

magimedi · 10/02/2013 19:38

YABVU

Bedtime stories really, really help to instill a love of reading & are a lovely memory for your DCs to have.

II am in my late 50's & still remember & treasure my father reading to me most nights.

InNeedOfBrandy · 10/02/2013 19:39

YANBU and yes you'll be flamed.

I do it because I have to not because I like doing it and I have complete control over what book I read.

MrsMushroom · 10/02/2013 19:40

Magimedi I am sure she knows what they instill...but she doesn't like doing it. That's not unreasonable. I know very well what they instill but still get irritated by the whole thing.

MrsMushroom · 10/02/2013 19:41

It's like crafting with your kids...some parents love it...I do...others can't stand it. You don't HAVE to love ALL aspects of parenting. That's impossible.

Clandy · 10/02/2013 19:41

Your not being unreasonable to hate it, as long as you do it and appear to love it for your sons sake then it doesn't matter if you love or hate it!

Cortana · 10/02/2013 19:42

YANBU to hate it. Glad you're doing it though.

Just think about when they love books so much that they go to bed early to read there, DS is like that now and we get many a peaceful evening due to his love of books. Worth it in the end.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 10/02/2013 19:42

I've had spells of not liking it (when they wouldn't listen to anything except Thomas the Tank Engine for months on end for example). Now I'm really enjoying it again (they are 7 and 9 now so the books are far better.

magimedi · 10/02/2013 19:43

I think that it is a 'bounden duty' to read a bedtime story to your DCs. It's part & parcel of being a parent.

missmapp · 10/02/2013 19:44

I generally really enjoy reading the dcs books at bedtime, but blinking Ninja meerkats ( ds1's current book of choice) is really testing my patience!!

LadyKinbote · 10/02/2013 19:44

How old is he? The books definitely get better as they get older.

Dollyboo · 10/02/2013 19:44

Wow! I wasn't expecting others to also dislike it. I do read them but try get away with it if I can. It just seems to drag the whole bedtime routine out. Fwiw I never had stories read to me as a child! Or a kids and cuddle come to think of it! I am very involved in DS life in every other way but hate this reading at night!

OP posts:

ewaczarlie · 10/02/2013 19:45

All depends on the night but sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't. We're getting into longer books now which is better than the rhyming ones! But ds interrupts constantly to ask qs (not about story!).
But love it or hate it we all know how improtant it is for our dc so along with many other things we do for them we just get on with it

Zappo · 10/02/2013 19:45

Ah see I love this bit because you get to lie down next to them so it's more relaxing than chasing them round the house playing monsters or whatever. It's a nice bit of 1:1 time at the end of the day and you know that soon you'll get a sit down.

Much more pleasant than the cajoling them constantly to get undressed/ clean teeth/ get upstairs, excuses, procrastination and endless requests that goes on and on in the half hour before. (that I hate!)

NeverQuiteSure · 10/02/2013 19:45

God I love reading to my children but of course YANBU to hate it. We all like/dislike different aspects of parenting. I loathe cooking with my children, I do it anyway but I get no pleasure from it. Each to their own.

Dollyboo · 10/02/2013 19:45

Lady- DS is 5. I also dislike cartoons/ kids programmes. Fortunately DH doesn't!

OP posts:

Nagoo · 10/02/2013 19:46

Start earlier? I run the bath at 6pm with the aim of closing the door at 7.15 ish.

StillStuck · 10/02/2013 19:46

Yanbu.
And I say that as someone who personally finds that one of my favourite bits of parenting. I love reading stories to ds and would (and do) happily sit for hours going through stories. There are some stories I definitely prefer reading to others though!

But everyone is going to have their bits of parenting they love and other parts that are more of an effort. I am absolutely rubbish at arts and crafts, I do try and we do drawing etc but that is definitely my weak spot. Luckily his nursery are amazing in terms of the variety of crafts they do and the effort and imagination they put into it so I figure that compensates a bit.

I do think reading is important though, but so clearly do you or you wouldn't have persevered despite not liking it.

Reading doesn't just have to be at bedtime though

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 10/02/2013 19:48

I hate children's TV and films. Just about all of them. I can't even make a pretence of enjoying them, I just dial out and read or something. Even if I stare at the screen nothing much goes in. DH doesn't mind so much.

foslady · 10/02/2013 19:48

I miss it now......and so nights I was so exhausted reading, but it was 'our' thing.

I still insist on reading bedtime stories at Christmas and get all the oldies out (grinch, Jesus's Birthday Party, Mogs Christmas......and do the voices

Pozzled · 10/02/2013 19:49

What a shame... Are there really NO children's books out there that you could enjoy sharing? Or is it just the timing- if the bedtime routine is hard going then I can understand it feeling like just one more thing to get through. Do you enjoy sharing books at other times? Do you enjoy reading yourself?

I won't flame you, but as a yr 6 teacher I do believe that developing a love of reading makes a real difference to kids' achievement. It doesn't have to be done through bedtime stories, you can find other ways and other times... If you don't enjoy it, your DCs will notice and you don't want to teach them that reading is a chore.

poachedeggs · 10/02/2013 19:49

Dolly I feel the same way but have persuaded DS to try chapter books and it's much better. We've done a few Dahl books (Marvellous Medicine, Twits, BFG, Chocolate Factory) and we both enjoy those.

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bunchamunchycrunchycarrots · 10/02/2013 19:49

I'm not overly keen, especially as now it's lots of words and few pictures. I've never been good at reading aloud so we are now outside my comfort zone. But! It's starting to pay off, DD is now reading proper books, on her own and really loves reading. No one read to me when I was small and I never had a love of books. But YANBU to dislike reading if its not your 'thing'.

amck5700 · 10/02/2013 19:53

We went to an event at school where the teacher was giving the results of a long range study into reading ability. Kids that are read to as babies onwards immediately jump up to 2 years ahead of their peers in reading ability when they learn to read themselves........and no matter how clever the child and how much work people put in, the not read to children never catch up. This study followed children up to age 15 or 16.

That said, you are not unreasonable to dislike it but very reasonable to do it anyway :)

I went through stages of disliking it depending on how tired I was and my OH did it in turns if he was about. It is definitely worth it - since about 5/6 my boys have read their own bedtime stories as their reading was so good and they didn't see it as a chore. My view is put the time in now and you can get out of it all the sooner!

littlewhitebag · 10/02/2013 19:54

I always hated reading out loud to my kids. For me reading is a private thing. Fortunately DH loves reading out loud - read all the Harry P books out to my DD2 and would take Flower Fairy books away in his briefcase to read over the phone if he wasn't home at night.

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