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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To let dd read pretty much what she wants to?

31 replies

BigBirthdayGloom · 03/10/2013 20:31

Dd is seven, year three and a good reader. She seems to lack confidence or perseverence with longer books and reads lots of short books, often going from one to another. Should I just let her get on with it, or encourage her to read something longer and stick to it? The one she's got from school is deathly dull.

OP posts:

Rebelwithoutapplause · 03/10/2013 20:34

Maybe she's simply not experienced a really gripping book yet - why not pop down to the library together

CrohnicallyLurking · 03/10/2013 20:34

Let her get on with it. If she reads things she genuinely enjoys, she gain in confidence and try longer books in her own time. If you encourage her to read something she's not enjoying, you risk turning reading into a chore and turning her off reading altogether.

CrohnicallyLurking · 03/10/2013 20:34

she will gain

lljkk · 03/10/2013 20:38

yanbu, just keep the love of reading alive at this point. DD spent 3 months of yr2 reading nothing but Calvin & Hobbes.

lljkk · 03/10/2013 20:39

ps: but I would vet for suitability. There are lots of things she shouldn't read for content.

dinkystinky · 03/10/2013 20:44

Let her read what she wants to (with some betting). Ds1 is in year 3 and jumps from novels to Asterix/Beano/Calvin and Hobbs to short story books depending on his mood - as do I to be fair...

Original poster

BigBirthdayGloom · 03/10/2013 20:45

This thread is really for my anxious self to read! Most of my head says leave her to it but this twisty bit of brain/heart keeps panicking that she's too flighty. But I know it'll be okay and that it's hardly likely to make her a keen reader if I push too hard.

OP posts:

Goldmandra · 03/10/2013 20:47

You know exactly what you need to do. Fight that twisty bit and relish the thought that you have a DD who enjoys reading. Many parents would kill for that

VisualCharades · 03/10/2013 20:47

yanbu leave her to it

CrohnicallyLurking · 03/10/2013 20:48

You could try reading a chapter of a longer book to her every night. Or get her some audio books from the library. Maybe she can get into the story easier that way, as it's less tiring. And once she enjoys the stories she might be more motivated to read longer books.

bigbrick · 03/10/2013 20:49

Let her read what she wants. A library or a second book shop are great ways for her to choose books just to see if she likes them

Original poster

BigBirthdayGloom · 03/10/2013 20:49

The twisty bit comes from her being so like me in so many ways-including having umpteen things on the go, reading wise. And I strive to be consistent, patient and not to get bored with stuff so quickly. Don't think I'll be the same with ds. Funny old thing, parenting.

OP posts:

pining · 03/10/2013 20:56

And maybe she is 'flighty'....maybe she always will be and she will be no less loved for it I'm sure. I hate the education systems way of forcing our kids to read what they want them to. My ds loves guinness book of records and ripleys books. He reads them enthusiastically and constantly is amazed by what he discovers, but every day i am expected to force him to read books about cats that fly or equally dull (in my ds opinion) books just to get him to the next level. Forget levels, remember pleasure in reading.

Original poster

BigBirthdayGloom · 03/10/2013 21:07

Thing is, on a good day, I know that my "flighty" side has a flip side of real creativity. This is also true of dd. Love her.

OP posts:

ArbitraryUsername · 03/10/2013 21:18

Let her read what she enjoys reading. You don't want to make her hate reading.

If you're worried about her needing to follow longer narratives, you could try getting audiobooks. That way she's be doing longer stories as well as reading the shorter ones herself.

DS1 went through a period of being very reluctant to read very much from about 6 to 9. It was because he couldn't cope with reading the kinds of stories he was actually interested in, and wasn't all that interested in the books he could cope with reading on his own. So I got him an audible subscription and he loved listening to all sorts of books he'd never have made it through in print (read by people far more engaging than me). By the time he got to 10 and could read anything and everything he switched over to reading and now is a total bookworm.

It might be worth investigating magazines with lots of serialised and short stories too, as that sounds like exactly the sort of thing that would suit her reading style. Something like a prose version of manga anthology magazines would be perfect.

valiumredhead · 03/10/2013 21:20

Will she read Harry Potter? Enid Blyton?

Giggle78 · 03/10/2013 21:23

Let her read what she likes :)

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 03/10/2013 21:24

Oh God, please don't make her think what she is reading isn't good enough.

ClockWatchingLady · 03/10/2013 21:25

YANBU. Provide the stuff she might like, then leave her to it, I reckon.

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 03/10/2013 21:25

Sorry, that sounded a bit rude. I meant to say - be happy she enjoys it

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 03/10/2013 21:26

I agree that audiobooks or reading to your children are good ways to get your DCs interested in different kinds of books.

Turniptwirl · 03/10/2013 21:28

Yanbu it's great that she enjoys reading, let her read what she wants and she'll probably grow into liking longer books in time. Agree with reading her a chapter a night of a longer book (Harry potter etc) to get across the idea of a l

Turniptwirl · 03/10/2013 21:29

Of a l

Turniptwirl · 03/10/2013 21:29

FFS phone!

To get across the idea of a longer narrative and story arc, without the stress if her having to read it herself

BigBoobiedBertha · 03/10/2013 21:30

I agree with Crohnically - when my DS1 was that age, the best way to encourage longer chapter books was to read them as bedtime stories so I would read a bit and he would read a bit by himself before lights out. In the end he was reading a lot more than me. We started with Harry Potter although that is one series I think needs some vetting. The themes of the last 3 books are a bit old for a 7 or 8 year old. He saved those for the end of yr 5 beginning of Yr 6, I think.

Other than that let her get on with whatever she wants the rest of the time but keep an eye on what she is reading for content suitability.

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