To be feeling bad I’m not reading to my two year old?

[badgerandthefox]

My two year old has started refusing books and stories. We have loads at home, I mean literally so many - all the classics like the Julia Donaldson ones and Tiger Who Came to Tea etc as well as lots of newer ones but she just won’t let me!

I did manage to look at a book with her today but I wasn’t reading, she was just looking at the pictures.

It makes me feel guilty and like I’m not doing my ‘job’ as a mum very well!

So Mine on days she wouldn't want a book to be read- we either made up a story, or phoned the grandparents who would make up a story with silly voices.... We had these recorded on creative tonies and would let her listen to them
We also had lots of mind numbing books and would talk about pictures and what's in them, or make up stories based on them ....

oh I do relate! Our daughter went through this too (now out of the other side and we must have read her seven books this eve!) I think it’s an age / control / independence thing for toddlers. Some things that helped us - leaning into stories (made up) about her or things she’d like, reading short silly poems, rhyming words and alliteration and singing songs. And just trying to take the pressure off reading! So easy to feel like you’ve failed as a mum but you sound so lovely- this too shall pass x

Read a story to one of her soft toys while she’s pottering. You will find that when she hears you say ‘Come on, Monkey, can you find the frog? Look carefully!’ she’ll start coming to show Monkey where it is.

Oh, another suggestion: singing! My eldest had a book of nursery rhymes with the most gorgeous illustrations. A bedtime "story" would often be that book, and she'd pick out a few and I'd sing them for her. I was surprised how many of them I remembered the tunes for, and it's nice to keep such an old tradition going.

Thanks all, I feel better now.

I was looking at this with her earlier but she was just lifting the flaps and talking about the pictures which was nice but when I tried to read the text to her she just kept saying no no no mummy 😂

I shall keep persevering! I think there is an element of control there, she’s become very bossy of late, but I guess I’m just a bit worried we’re getting out of the ‘habit’ of regular reading.