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    Joined: Feb 2016
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    This may sound a bit odd, but DH and I are starting to wonder whether DS8 and DS6 are reading too much.

    They are both relatively active and have a few extracurricular activities (piano, karate, swimming lessons), so that's not so much of a concern. And they both have some friends and are relatively social. So those aspects are pretty normal/good, I think.

    Our main concern is that they almost never want to play with toys or games and they always seem to have their nose in a book. In a way, I know it's a good problem to have. But when is it too much? DS6 even always brings a book to school/daycare and will read a lot there as well.

    Am I silly for being a bit concerned?

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    You are not silly, but I don't think this need be a significant concern either. It doesn't sound like their reading interferes with other aspects of their development (social, physical, etc.). They just prefer reading for entertainment. I am pretty sure there are a lot of others on this board (adults and children alike) who have had periods past and present when reading was the primary leisure activity. Some of us certainly were guilty of walking-under-the-influence (of a book) for protracted periods of our school years!


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    Its hard to say. My ds at this age was this way. He might have 3 or 4 books going at once. Now at 14 I wish my son would read more and play video games less.

    What kind of books are they reading? Do they have any trouble getting other things done because they are reading all the time?

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    aeh: Yes, I was a walking bookworm as well when I was a kid and I suppose it didn't do too much harm. smile

    mecreature: They read A LOT of graphic comics (Adventure Time, Hilo, Plants Vs. Zombies, Sonic, Amulet). They also read books about Minecraft, joke books, Ripley's Believe It or Not, National Geographic Weird but True, etc. They're certainly not reading Charles Dickens, but I'm a pretty firm believer in maintaining a reading habit that can become more refined later in life.

    Apparently DS6 is always trying to sneak a book during class, but his teacher doesn't seem to mind unless he's not paying attention. Considering that he is zipping through any material she offers in class, she's probably just relieved that he's not being disruptive in class cause he's bored.

    Otherwise, it's just hard to get their attention away from their books.

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    My DS11 and DS9 spend a lot of time reading too. I often find DS9 up very early in the morning (4AMishg) reading because he complains there is just not enough hours in the day for him to read on school days and he reads during recess at school too. DS11 is a night owl and stays up late reading books. I wouldn't worry about too much reading as long as they can get their school work completed. I figure there could be a lot worse things they could be doing. Reading is a wonderful habit.

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    I woud suggest that you monitor them while they read for long periods so that their posture is good and that they take periodic breaks to focus their eyes on objects that are far away so that they do not get eye strain. Beyond that, they should be fine. My son is a bookworm in phases - he will not put down books for a few months. Then, he will be off doing other stuff for a few months and then, he will be back to reading night and day again. I encourage him to use a Kindle when he spends many hours on reading - he increases the font size to large for reading for several hours.

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    i limit/interrupt my DS7's reading when i feel it's interfering with his health (not sleeping enough or missing meals, not leaving the couch for days, etc.), chores, or school. otherwise i'm fine with him reading a lot.

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    My DS6 has made comments recently that he's "a little old for play now", and he prefers inventing and reading. I think it can be a phase if the book/series is particularly interesting.


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    I worry a bit that they may not be getting enough exercise, may not be as well rounded as they could be, and that they may be missing out on other things. But all things considered, I suppose it's not a bad problem to have. Plus, they seem quite happy.

    Thanks for the input!


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