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Original poster

What age did you stop bedtime stories?

138 replies

AmIreallyBeverly · 07/02/2023 12:58

We've always read a bedtime story. My daughter will be 13 this year and I still read her a chapter or two of a book before bed. It's very much led by her and she's started occassionally saying she doesn't want me to read. That's fine but I'll miss it when she no longer wants it at all. I won't necessarily miss the books though - she likes some nonsense!

What age did you stop?

OP posts:
Original poster
AmIreallyBeverly · 07/02/2023 14:08

@kateandme

We read The Girl of Ink and Stars and enjoyed it. I really enjoyed The Mercies. I will have a Google.

OP posts:
Original poster
AmIreallyBeverly · 07/02/2023 14:09

@CuteCillian

Don't feel guilty. There I'd nothing to feel bad about. X

OP posts:
Servalan · 07/02/2023 14:09

I did bedtime stories until DD was 11 and decided she didn't want to be read to anymore. It was a lovely way to spend time together and I miss it.

FeedMeTiramisu · 07/02/2023 14:10

Still reading to my almost 10 year old DD and 6 year old. They get into bunk beds and I read a couple of chapters of whatever book we are on. Kids love me reading to them but equally are good readers themselves.

Will continue to read to them for however long they want me to.

Meceme · 07/02/2023 14:12

I read to my daughter until she was 14 or so. We were reading the Harry Potter series as they came out and would pre order each book which I read aloud to her (and her dad) each evening.
It saved us arguing about who got to read it first!

JenniferBarkley · 07/02/2023 14:13

Oh this is lovely! My eldest is 4, I had no idea it might carry on as long. It's one of my favourite things, often after a very trying bedtime.

vegisaurus · 07/02/2023 14:14

If she likes mathsy type books, Humble Pi by Matt Parker is brilliant. It is non fiction and all about maths mistakes in real life (like how the millennium bridge ended up being too wobbly before it was fixed etc). It is very light hearted and does not require any maths knowledge to be accessible.

DNBU · 07/02/2023 14:17

No advice as I have a preschooler but that’s really sweet OP.

FourFour · 07/02/2023 14:18

bellswithwhistles · 07/02/2023 13:43

Wow I'm so surprised! My parents stopped reading to me about age 7/8 and the same with my two kids. They're both great readers and happy to sort themselves out. I can just imagine their looks if I said to them age 13, move over Mum wants to read to you!

hats off to you though!

This made me laugh too. I can't imagine a 13yo wanting to be read to. But good for you op, I love reading to my ds who is only 6 and he loves reading to his newborn sister.

Tacocatgoatcheesepizza · 07/02/2023 14:19

Eldest stopped at 8, we’d started reading Harry Potter and he just wanted to get through it as quickly as possible so decided he’d read them just by himself and never went back to wanting to be read to. He is an excellent reader who loves books.

Youngest is now 8 and not showing any signs of wanting to stop yet although he often elects to read to me rather than me reading to him.

Meceme · 07/02/2023 14:20

I often took groups of Year 6 children (including some lively boys) on outward bound residential trips. I read to them every night. Some had never had that experience before and were a bit 'too cool' at first but they settled in and thoroughly enjoyed it. The most 'difficult' boy told me it had been his favourite part of the trip ever. I often wonder if we make children grow up too quickly.

pointythings · 07/02/2023 14:21

We stopped when DD1 was 13. I'd been reading the entire Discworld series to them (it really lends itself to reading out loud) and we finished with the last Tiffany Aching book. It seemed a fitting end point given there would be no more.

Greensleeves · 07/02/2023 14:23

aSofaNearYou · 07/02/2023 13:38

I can't remember my parents ever reading chapter books to me - I read them myself from maybe 7-8. So it's a bit of a strange thought to me. I'd be interested to know what kids that are still being read to at 12-13 are like at reading themselves.

That's an odd comment. My 21yo was read to until he was 15 Grin and is a voracious reader and a published writer, in his second year of uni after getting a first in his first year. No issues with independent reading whatsoever, he just loved being able to close his eyes and have someone else do the character voices etc. It was a lovely time.

Return2thebasic · 07/02/2023 14:24

We stopped around lockdown time somewhere when DS 1 was about 8ish. He started reading a lot during lockdown and liked to read himself as it's a lot faster to his own pleasure.

Instead, these days, we would turn off his reading light and chat about his day for 10-15 minutes with night light on. Sometimes, he insists to skip the chat so that he could read a bit more. But I persisted as the bedtime chat is really good bonding time.

evtheria · 07/02/2023 14:24

DS is 8 and still enjoys me reading to him (or sometimes him reading to me) so I'll do it 2-3 times a week. Have also started just 'reading side by side' in his bed, him with his book and mine with my own.

I think I would do it until he told me he didn't want it any more, but I could imagine us reading to each other on the couch in the evening, if he wanted privacy in his room when he's older.

Really nice to see that some tweens-teens still enjoy it!

evtheria · 07/02/2023 14:25

Meceme · 07/02/2023 14:20

I often took groups of Year 6 children (including some lively boys) on outward bound residential trips. I read to them every night. Some had never had that experience before and were a bit 'too cool' at first but they settled in and thoroughly enjoyed it. The most 'difficult' boy told me it had been his favourite part of the trip ever. I often wonder if we make children grow up too quickly.

😭

Sirzy · 07/02/2023 14:26

Ds loves being Read to at bedtime but still happily reads alone regularly. Generally his reading alone is non fiction texts but he still reads his fiction text to himself sometimes too

aSofaNearYou · 07/02/2023 14:29

That's an odd comment. My 21yo was read to until he was 15 and is a voracious reader and a published writer, in his second year of uni after getting a first in his first year. No issues with independent reading whatsoever, he just loved being able to close his eyes and have someone else do the character voices etc. It was a lovely time.

That's why I said I was interested! I've never known anyone that could read, be read to, so I was interested to know what the appeal was/if it was more appealing for people that couldn't read confidently themselves. It's not a judgment.

StarboysMum · 07/02/2023 14:31

I've now stopped reading to my 14 and 12 year olds. Both are strong readers and very academically capable. I think we got to 13 with the eldest, 11 with the younger one. With both, it came to a natural close. As well as being a lovely bonding experience, I did see it as an educational opportunity. We always chose (fictional) books that were advanced for them in terms of content and subject matter, and they were great talking points.

Greensleeves · 07/02/2023 14:33

aSofaNearYou · 07/02/2023 14:29

That's an odd comment. My 21yo was read to until he was 15 and is a voracious reader and a published writer, in his second year of uni after getting a first in his first year. No issues with independent reading whatsoever, he just loved being able to close his eyes and have someone else do the character voices etc. It was a lovely time.

That's why I said I was interested! I've never known anyone that could read, be read to, so I was interested to know what the appeal was/if it was more appealing for people that couldn't read confidently themselves. It's not a judgment.

Fair enough! I think it's one of those situations where one doesn't necessarily stop doing something for a child merely because they can do it themselves - making them tea and toast, for example, or washing their clothes. Both of mine could do those things by themselves from a young age, but I sometimes do it anyway, because I love them. They do stuff for me that I can easily do myself, as well. Being read to is a completely different experience from reading, it's a very relaxing and soothing experience, and there's an intimacy in it as well which can be hard to maintain in other ways as children get older.

Said 21yo and his current partner also read to one another. It's just a lovely thing to do, if you both love books.

StarboysMum · 07/02/2023 14:34

Meceme · 07/02/2023 14:20

I often took groups of Year 6 children (including some lively boys) on outward bound residential trips. I read to them every night. Some had never had that experience before and were a bit 'too cool' at first but they settled in and thoroughly enjoyed it. The most 'difficult' boy told me it had been his favourite part of the trip ever. I often wonder if we make children grow up too quickly.

These last two sentences are making me well up. Fully agree with your last sentence.

HappierTimesAhead · 07/02/2023 14:35

This thread has made me smile. My two are still little and sometimes I wish for storytime to be over so I can get some downtime but this is a reminder to cherish it as it won't last forever. 😍

StarboysMum · 07/02/2023 14:35

And you're never too old to read aloud or be read to! I was so proud of all my character voices over the years. I really miss it.

ElvenDreamer · 07/02/2023 14:35

I have 3 excellent and voracious readers who have always been well ahead in ability, they have always loved a bed time story though. Eldest is 12, and there is no sign of it stopping, I read her books that she wouldn't necessarily have thought to pick up herself, (eg just finished Northanger Abbey,) and often some amazing discussions come out of the story. I did actually ask her if she still wanted me to read to her as I remember not letting my Mum after about age 9 as I could do it faster on my own, but she said she likes the way I read and it's a good way in to books she might not have tried. I suspect for all 3 kids it's also valuable 1 to 1 time that can't be taken away from them.

evtheria · 07/02/2023 14:38

StarboysMum · 07/02/2023 14:35

And you're never too old to read aloud or be read to! I was so proud of all my character voices over the years. I really miss it.

DS was visibly amazed at all the voices and accents I did for Charlotte's Web. As someone who is really crap at "play" I cling to this with pride.