To let dd15 simply read all summer

[OhLaDiDaDiDa]

Aibu to be okay with dd15’s plan to spend her entire summer reading?

She has GCSEs next year, and I strongly suspect she won’t follow up her plan of studying a few hours very day this summer.

She gets good grades and is a nice girl.

She updated her TBR (“to be read”) list of 100 books and that’s her plan! Some of them are non fiction and the fiction is a lot of “good quality” stuff (not junky AI romantasies!)

I think that's a lovely way for her to spend her summer if that's what she wants to do, and I would have been delighted if my daughter had wanted to do that at 15 rather than spending half the day asleep.

Volunteering at library might be a good thing to encourage them will have something on cv when applying for pt jobs or work experience.

I would say that you have to insist that she still does her household chores in a timely manner (she does have regular responsibility for some chores, right?)

Mumsnet really is the thief of joy 😅
Its a conversation about reading not giving evidence in court ffs

why? Of course kids need to do a bit of revisions during the holiday, just enough so they are not completely lost when they restart, but they don't need 1 hour a day! 😂

couple of hours 2 or 3 times in the holiday is plenty, unless they really are failing somewhere, and that should have been addressed before the holiday

I listen to audiobooks on my longer walks and on the treadmill at the gym - she can still get her literary fix on the move.

I think your idea of asking her to make dinner is a good one. Could you work with her on setting some other, non-reading/ life skill related goals for the summer, too?

Eg, can you make a list of recipes you’d like to make together, or some things you could teach her to cook together? Is there any DIY she could try (eg painting her bedroom? Sanding/ varnishing outdoor wooden furniture?). Could she learn a craft, too? (Eg, knit a blanket?).

Could she do any volunteering? You mentioned walking a neighbour’s dog - is there anything else like that she could do?

Could you ask her to research and plan a day out for the two of you, including public transport?

Anything to add a bit more variety to the summer - although obviously reading is great.

what's that MN obsession with "chores"?

Personally I would prefer if my child was out socialising with their friends as well. It’s great that she is so keen on reading but there is more to life in my opinion.

Because sitting indoors reading crap (and it will be crap) isn’t good either!

An HOUR a day STUDYING in the SUMMER HOLIDAYS?!!!??!??! What?! This was never the expectation. I say this as a geeky A student with geeky A student school friends: we didn't do this at all, our teachers didn't request or expect it, our universities only expected the summer reading to be done. Like I said in my earlier response, I did read our A level and GCSE set texts for English and Drama over the summer but I would never have called reading Wide Sargasso Sea while sunbathing in Cornwall "studying".

I spent all my summers reading around her age. What an amazing way to spend six weeks.

It was expected of us, at a grammar school.

from someone posting on MN

I am loving the irony here

It wasn’t expected of us at a grammar school.

I also put YABU by mistake. Sounds like a lovely summer. I'm very jealous of her 😆

As an English teacher I only wish there was more of this.

As others say, this sounds like a base for a great summer holiday but she should do a hobby or 2 and make sure to meet up with friends regularly

I say this as someone whose summer holiday activity was my mum paying for the full sky TV package so I could stay at home watching tv all day!

are you sure it wasn't because YOU were behind? Because it's not the case in the grammar schools I know . They are all different of course, but it's not "a thing"

They are more likely to encourage trips abroad and broaden the knowledge in general, than daily revisions of subjects that should already be mastered anyway

I spend a lot of my holidays reading as a teenager. Looking back though it was me hyper focusing due to a lack of routine. I had ADHD that was undiagnosed because I got As on exams. I would make sure she is doing stuff in between so it’s not 8am to 11pm of books.

I got top grades, so no it wasn’t because I was behind. It’s because lounging around all day doing nothing isn’t good for you.

Reading isn’t doing nothing.

Well that sounds shit.

I pity those who need to do "revisions" because they have nothing better and more interesting things to do during their summer holiday. I know some parents can't afford holidays at all, but there are still plenty of opportunities for a teen to be active. As well as reading.

Sounds perfect.

Will she do it? I often have plans to read all day (or afternoon) and find I waste it scrolling MN etc. I'd love to regain the focus screens have taken from me and be able to read all day again.