The world of reading
By pree70
@pree70 (525)
India
January 23, 2008 8:44am CST
I just love books. Right from childhood, they have been my constant companions, leading me to another type of world, where i was free to give wings to my imagination..
I think i started with the Amar chithra katha series, with it's colourful recounting of mythology and history. Later on, the Enid blyton books with it's wholesome adventures and the picturesque English landscape added to my fascination.
Then came the Nancey drews, the hardy boys, Sweet valley twins, etc, which gave glimpses of the forbidden subject of 'dating' as is the custom in the west.
The Mills and boons series were perused eagerly at college, and added a lot to the idiotic romantic notions of the age. But along with that, i did quite a bit of serious reading of the classics, like Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, etc.
College was also the time when Sydney sheldon books were a rage, and i took full advantage of it. I also read Daniel Steele for the first time at college, and has remained an ardrent fan till now. Similarly, Gone with the wind, The thorn birds,etc. held me really captivated. I guess i owe all of them a lot for enhancing my love of the language...
I really feel sorry, in a way, for today's kids, who have been caught up so much in the wide world web, to spare time to developing this hobby. They don't consider it a pleasure anymore and just do it as a necessary evil. When i recount the sort of pleasure i had with books, to my 12 year old son, he looks at me as though i am coming from another planet! For him, what he sees in tv, is believing..
but how on earth do i tell him that there is a whole world of imagination, which is more fertile than all the televisions put together?? How do i show him that special world which only the reader can conjure up?? How do i make him interested in the world of letters???
1 person likes this
9 responses
@princysherly (28)
• India
24 Jan 08
i love to read books... especially indian writers its so classy... they write the every feel it reallly takes me to tht place.. especially Rabindarnath tagore, aruntahthi roy her "God of samll things" and "SHAKESPEARE" tooooo...its so wonderful.. 'm so proud tht she received the nobel prize for literature. the habit of reading has to be from within a person.... it jus takes sometym to sit and enjoy how the writer has involved and how the person takes even the reader to his ambience... and for your qn my advise is you teel him all the intresting thingys in the bk which you want ur son to read.. feed him with all the things which he is intersted in common ...
1 person likes this
@ssh123 (31073)
• India
24 Jan 08
I was provided with greatest opportunity to read books. I was working as a copy editor of MacMillan - one of the reknowned publishers. The copy or a book which is generated by the computer after it is keyed-in, had to be read to effect the changes especially the typing errors, layout, use of styles etc. In the process of checking the copy, I would have read the whole of Thomas Hardy's, Dickens, Sigmund, sometimes the novels by Australian authoris, novels by
Shidney Sheldom, besides books on economics. I used to read books in school days and college days. I have fairly impressive collection and I spend 1 hour a day reading books.
1 person likes this
@asunnys (30)
• United States
23 Jan 08
As much as I hate to say it, not eveyone would ever *want* to pick up reading as serious hobby. Myself, I've read every night of my life since the 2nd grade, even if only a paragraph when I'm feeling sick - sometimes a few chapters when I can get to bed early enough to curl up and enjoy.
My husband will read 1 book every 2-4 years. lol - We love picking playfully about our scholarly differences, and our son jokes with both of us.
My 9 year old son used to hate reading. "Mom, that's for school-time." was his favorite response. So, I picked up a few comic books and graphic novels and all of a sudden he likes reading at home. I invested in a few magazines for him (Nickeloden, Lego) and he reads a little more. He watches the Harry Potter movies and loves them, and I make sure to point out that even *more* cool stuff happened in the book that the movie-makers never used. So, he'll be starting to read those soon.
Accept that you son may never love reading quite the same way you do, but encourage it all you can anyway.
1 person likes this
@quiltedblessings (1066)
• United States
23 Jan 08
I too loved books from an early age. The first book that I ever read on my own was Wizard of Oz, followed by the many other books in the series. I adored them.
With my kids, the 10 yr old is a reader, but not the 12 yr old, and not the little ones (yet). It is so hard to convey to my 12 yr old just how much he is missing by not reading. I feel your pain there!
1 person likes this
@Creepout84 (38)
•
23 Jan 08
I'm not a parent yet, nor I am the right person to talk about this question, but I think the only way your son might understand the magic of reading is through his own interest: I try to be clearer.
Any child has a bunch of interests: sports, for example, or movies, or even video games. Starting from this, the child should be addressed to that kind of reading which best suits his passions. That could be the beginning: reading about some champions of the past, or a newspaper which reviews the latest videogames, and so on, could "turn the light" into your son's mind about how useful, interesting and even funny reading could be. Bearing in mind this idea, he won't repeal books as a boring-activity, but would probably see them as an opportunity, and then, why don't try to fully enjoy this opportunity, also in subjects and matters yet "unexplored" ?
Each book is a kind of a footpath, by walking through the path and the pages we could find the true sense of anything
1 person likes this
@sunshinelady (7609)
• United States
23 Jan 08
My love of reading comes from my Mom. I can still picture her looking at us kids and telling us that we can go all over the world and not even leave the house. That we could go on adventures and find hidden treasures right from our own doorstep. We were never allowed to earmark a book. Mom always referred to books as our friends. And so today when I sit down to read I lose myself in the story. Kids are missing so much by not reading. It is hard to know what will spark a child's interest in picking up a book and opening it up to read. Our society is such that we now have computers and it makes it so much easier to bypass books. That is sad and children today just don't know what they are missing.
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
23 Jan 08
I have always loved reading from as far back as I can remember. It seems that books were always a huge part of my life. My sister used to take me to the library when I was small and we would spend hours there.
My older daughter has inherited my love of reading, and I am happy that at least one of my children enjoys it like I do.
I agree, with so much technology today, it's hard even to get children outside to play and reading is even harder.
I never could get my son to read, he just wasn't interested, but the interests he did have I encouraged him in. He loved to play instruments, so that is what I encouraged him in and he is quite accomplished in it. He also loves carpentry and that was his career choice.
I figure that everyone is different and if they aren't interested in reading, then there is something that our children are interested in and we should do our best to encourage them in their interests.
The problem is getting them off the computer to find other interests.
@pree70 (525)
• India
25 Jan 08
Thank you for your response. I am glad that atleast one of your children are into books. I agree with you regarding wasted playtimes. Kids just prefer to sit in front of the tv or computer rather than enjoy themselves in the playground.
It is good that your son is into something he likes. Good luck anyways.
@bianx21 (339)
• Philippines
25 Jan 08
That's the consequence we have to pay because of Technology...It seems to teach kids to become too dependent on computers and the internet...Too bad they don't see the beauty of reading...When I was a young kid,I would always ask my mom to buy me books...I especially liked Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley books...Those were the good old days...I hope you'll be able to influence your son to read books...Good luck!
