Please tell me I'm not the only one still reading stories and putting a 9 and 1/2 year old to bed?

[snowfunwhenyoureknackered]

ds is 9 and 1/2 and hates/won't go to bed himself, says it makes him feel lonely, his wee brother gets taken to bed but he's 6

also doesn't like reading so won't read a book before bed, I want him to enjoy reading so I continue to read/tell him stories to keep his interest in books

am I the only one/mad?

That sounds lovely. I hope mine still want to be put to bed when they're that age.

I think it is nice

why not? dp and I still chat and cuddle at bedtime, and he sometimes reads to me if I ask him to

it's a pleasant and companionable thing to do

well I can't remember when I last read to my 10 year old but I think if he "needs" it then it's a good thing to you to do for him.

Mine are both independent readers but often my 10 yo likes me to read to her before going to sleep. Sometimes it's a PITA when I am tired and hungry and sometimes I love snuggling up in her bed with her.

Can you read alternate pages so he gets into the habit of reading for himself.

Also I am a firm believer in being quite free and easy with the reading matter. If he wants to read the sports pages or the back of the cereal packet then so be it.

i think you are v lucky he still wants this time with you! I very much hope to still be reading, putting to bed my dc's (now 4 and 8 months) when they are that age and older. In fact i can't wait to start reading books like famous five, malalory towers etc with my daughter.. she is too young for them now.

My ds is 9 and a half and every evening he has a story read to him (usually a chapter of a longer book). He's a fluent reader but it's part of going to bed for him and until he says he'd like to stop we'll continue. I think it's a really nice part of the day and if your ds still enjoys it then I'd stick with it

Yup.
10 in March - still reading, cuddling, tucking in, settling, talking, coming downstairs, doing it all over again, three or four times in a row!
Actually new year new rule - once you are in bed you have to stay there unless actively bleeding. its sort of working - only have to go and tuck in again twice or three times!
But I do like to read all my old favourites too.
Dh doesn't do all that while i'm working though

I still put 8 yr old and 10 yr old to bed.
They do now read to themselves for a while before i back up to turn the light out.
I think its lovely they still want to be taken to bed. make the most of it! probably won't last much longer.

Your company is probably more important to him. The reading is probably how he structures the request. I would ask my mum to "come and talk to me" every night from about 9yo until 12yo. It was only 10 minutes, but it was an absolutely crucial part of my day and how I managed to talk to her in private about things going on in m life. I'm a bloke, b the way.

don't feel so bad now!

only trouble is ds goes to bed about 8.30-.45 and by them I'm getting knackered and want to sit down with a cup of tea!

also apart from dh NO-ONE has put the boys to bed, we've never had a night away!

Carried on reading to my DD1 till she was nearly 12. Dd2 prefers to do her own thing and has done since she was 9.

I loved that closeness and it often turned into sharing secrets.

You could (and I would have) insisted that if he wants your company, he can have it at a time that is convenient to you as well. I believe children should learn from a young age that their parents have a right to a life too. And he would get much better quality time off you if you are not too tired anyway.

We're still putting DS (8) and DS2 (5) to bed. DH & I alternate each evening. DH mostly reads something like Harry Potter to DS1, but I make him read alternate pages with me. It still involves lots of snuggliness and 'tucking in' though.
The regular question in our house at about 7 pm is "who's doing who?" i.e. which parent is reading to which child... DS2 makes a bit of a fuss if it's DH for him (he's a big girl's blouse of a Mummy's boy ).

It as habit which we mostly love, but there is always the odd evening when you're just itching to get away for a cup of tea .

If we're ever out for the evening we get DS1 to read to DS2 before the babysitter arrives!

Forgot to add, after reading with DS1 we usually have about 5 minutes of "Mummy Special Time" when we get to ask each other questions (the idea being that he gets a chance to talk about anything that might be bothering him, but usually it's something like him yakking on about the latest lego model he wants to build or soemthing!)

think the reason I'm getting fed up with it is becaise we never ever have time off from our kids, we have all the time in the world together, I only work when they are in school so the last 9 years we've hardly been apart

at about 8.30 at night I yearn for some time to watch rubbish TV!