Are there ever any evenings when you don't read to your children at bedtime?

[emkana]

That's it really.

I think we should only not read to them when it's very very late and they need to go to bed quick.
Dh would make exceptions more often if I let him.

I am so glad DD has grown out of her obsession with TTTE

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat (wow that takes ages to type!), my dd is only 16 months and shes had her bedtime stries since 11 months so either i'm even more ludicrous than you or we're great mummies

We always read a story to ds (3.5) - my favourites are the Hairy Maclary books.
IMHO there are lots of worse things out there than TTTE - my MIL has a lot to answer for. DS likes tractors. She bought us a book about 500 tractors - including a detailed history. I now know FAR TOO MUCH about blasted tractors.............it was every night for MONTHS.
Oh, and some kind person bought us a lift the flap book in the Baby Einstein series - about an Explorer called Jane in an Airoplane (U.S. Spellings in book). It was DIRE - made TTTE look like classic l
literature......

Ours are now 9, 7, 4 and nearly 3 months and they all get a story. The older two get one chapter from a chosen book and the younger two get a story (or sometimes a page or two of How Things Work type book for the 4 year old).

It is such a nice time to snuggle and enjoy each other's company. I am not looking forward to the day that they tell us to stay out of their rooms. Sometimes if things go really badly at bedtime, we have to threaten to shorten the reading time but that is generally all that is required to get them to race throught the bedtime routine of brushing teeth, going to the loo, washing hands and faces, putting oin jammies and sorting laundry/folding the clothes to be reworn...

Uh Oh... I just looked up at the posts that suggest I might be ludicrous for reading to a baby. Guess I am ludicrous because I have read to all of our children as babies. NO BABY EINSTEIN here either. Can't stand them!!!!

I like those little TTTE books. Am I weird?

Removal of bedtime story is a severe sanction in our house and does happen occasionally (though we do then have an extended chat in bed).

There was a thing on the BBC website a couple of week ago saying SHOCK only 12% (or equally low number) of children aged 8-12 have a bedtime story and I'm thinking if I'm still reading my 10/11/12 yo a bedtime story there's something wrong. I love doing it esp as ds1 is working his way through Secret Seven at the moment and I'm really looking forward to getting to an age for things like the Hobbit but surely by 10 they should be reading for pleasure independently?

very good point hannahs aunt, i had a bedtime story every night of my life but by 8 was reading independantly, and at 9 i remember my dad recommending the hobbit to me and reading it all myself. wouldn't have had the patience to be read to at that age, never mind 12!

IMO the whole point of reading to them young is to increase their vocabulary and comprehensive skills and to instill a love of books in them, so that they can and will read for pleasure at a younger age and at a higher level

DD is 4 and we read her a bedtime every night, unless it is very late - in those cases we will normally jusst talk to her about something for a minute or two - maybe what we have done during the day.

There is apparantly a lot to be said about reading alone to even older children - sharing stories and that special time together. There was definitely something in the media about this this past year. It should have no imnpact or make any difference to independent reading, it should be in addition to and to complement it.

Well I started reading to both my children at about 4 or 5 months as well. They got teeth. I had to clean them after feeding them so used the story to settle them. Certainly by 6-7 months it was a well-established part of their routine. And now at 5 and 2 they both love books.

I think I will read to them as long as they want me to. It is funny because if I am reading to DD and DS is playing with his lego or whatever he can't resist the story and gradually creeps over to where we are.

ds loses his story if he really plays up at bedtime (hits baby sister etc). He gets really upset if he misses his story.

oh, and if really really good, can choose 2 books

realised with a bit of surprise that we never miss a night's stories with DS. He has 4 books a night.

I guess we are sticklers for this as he really won't make time in his busy day to sit and read, so at the moment this is our only time to get him to do it. He absolutely loves his bedtime stories so am hoping he will come to accept them more in the day sometime! Otherwise he will be one of those who leave school at 16 unable to read!!!

No we always have stories, 3 or 4 a night
Have done since she could hold her head up!

only if they are utterly exhausted and need to go to bed straight away as they are ferally tired. BUt nope - either read books or sing songs together.

Every night - since DD was about 10 months old and dropped her evening boob (figuratively speaking...) It filled that evening snuggle gap nicely.

We tried to miss it out once recently when she was shatteroonied, but she wouldn't settle until Charlie and Lola and had been brought out for the n millionth time. She's now 18 months, loves books, and usually has four - five stories over the course of the day and three before bed.

Chatters for England, but still refusing to walk! But that's another story...

Only if she's really tired, I'm really tired, and its late - in which case I make stories up in the dark.
Annners, mine was the same at almost that age - would sit and look at books for an hour on her own, chattered her head off, but walked late: trust me, now she's 2.5 I'd rather more reading and less climbing!

Only if she is really tired and we're late in from somewhere. I can tell she isn't up for a story as she climbs into bed, curls into a ball and sticks her thumb in her mouth. Other than that she gets a story or two without fail.

I try to, but if I am over exhausted or they go to bed later than normal, it sometimes goes to pot!
This last few days I have been in a bit of a stressed state & poor ds's have had to do without their bedtime story as a consequence.

Older dd (7) practices her reading by reading to the younger ones. Two (or rather 3) birds with one stone

I read a lot to dd (3.5)during the day at bedtime she is totally focussed on bed, although on occasins she does ask for one, and she'll get one
ds 12 reads to himself LOL

Ds always has a story. Sometimes,, like when we are camping and crap mummy has forgotten to pack books , he has a made up story about a boy called fillyboy...whose mummy forgot the books when they went camping...etc...it gets quite postmodern.

Dd does not get a story, she just wants to chew the book. Ds was the same.

Then we sing to him til he goes to sleep.

Oh I am so smug

Every night, dh and I take it in turns with each of them.