Does your dc ever see you sitting down in a comfortable armchair reading a book (and for longer than 10 seconds)?
I want to bring dc up in a household where reading is valued and important, to help him develop a love of reading himself. So we read books, especially before bedtime, and we sing songs and rhymes, and we look at alphabet letters and point them out in the street, and so on...But, I'm very conscious that he never actually sees me or dh sitting down for any length of time and clearly enjoying a good book ourselves, although doing so would probably do more to help instill a love of reading in him than any other activity.
Mainly we can't because we're too busy and knackered looking after said dcs! I can't sit down for any length of time to do anything because eldest dc is 3 and never stops, and youngest is 6m.
I'm after any tips/thoughts/advice please. If you manage it with a 3yo or thereabouts, how do you do it in practical terms?
Thanks.
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Does your dc see you sitting down and reading a book?
Bouviergirl · 06/07/2011 22:00
That's very interesting, thanks for your thoughts.
From what you say BuckBuck, it might be a bit ambitious just yet to try and sit down and plough through War and Peace, whilst they're this young - but maybe we can still grab a bit of reading time (10 mins?!) like you say and make sure then they see us reading.
And from what PandaG says, I shouldn't really be watching Balamory myself during TV time, and trying to guess what colour house it is today, but using that opportunity to catch up on the reading. Oops. 
Yes, on weekend mornings I make a pot of tea and we have quiet time til about 8.30. I read the paper or a book, DS (5) reads the sports page of paper or a book, DDs (4 and 2) either look at books, colour or do cutting and gluing.
I also read on the loo, the only time I get to sit down in the week while they're awake 
I actually think the parenting role model in this sort of example is often completely overplayed. I never saw my parents read at all (they didn't grow up in the UK and aren't actually very literate or academic) yet I was a real bookworm as a child and spent all my time in the library. I would go by myself as a teenager, so it's not as if they encouraged me by taking me there either. Most of my interests as a child (and as an adult) are completely different from anything my parents would be interested in. I grew up watching my parents doing a lot of sewing and cooking yet they are definitely not my best skills!
If DS sees me reading at all, it's usually MN and other websites on my phone these days . I don't think he saw me do much reading when he was younger, but he's a very keen reader too.
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Well, we've got bookshelves full of books
They see me reading books quite a bit, DP isn't much of a reader though
Am now at the stage where the 7yo reads the blurb and questions me about the content... recently found her looking through 'How To Be A Woman' in search of "swearing words" 
That is what trips to the park are for. Baby falls asleep in the pram as you walk there. You sit down in the park with your book while the other child plays.
Except now my eldest two (7 and almost 9) bring their books too and sit reading on the bench while DD plays
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