Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy reading-Can't get enough?

DD7, complained and cried about not getting enough time to read in 1st grade. I thought this was just showing her fustration with being underchallenged.

Now that it is summer she has complained again, saying she does not get enough time to read. She has lots of time to do what ever she wants. We have a very limited schedule of activities.

I take her to the library weekly. She gets 10-15 books, mostly 4th grade RL, a few nonfiction and picture books. She begins reading 3 or 4 books including one with each parent for bedtime and seems to keep up with the stories. She probally reads 2 or 3 hours a day.

This is an easy going child. Is this nothing? Does it mean she is not getting enough mental stimulation this summer? (She has DYS qualifying scores)

I was like that growing up. I'd read the cereal package over and over just to have something to read at breakfast. Heck, I'm still like that when time allows -- nothing beats starting a novel at 9 pm and finishing it at 2 am or whatever. DD3.9 is like that -- we typically read 15 books (plus about that many online stories) every week. Of course, they're not 4th grade RL, but I can see her doing something like that when she's 7.

I remember for decades, going to a bookstore was PAINFUL to me (we didn't have public libraries where I grew up... ) because of the sheer POSSIBILITY of it all -- how much there was to learn, to experience, to ponder.

I think that level of voracity is a good thing. It will serve her well -- as long as she doesn't neglect other aspects of her life. If you want to see what happens if she has more reading time (ie, if something satisfies her, or if -- quite possibly-- nothing is "ever enough"), you might want to make sure it's dispersed throughout the day.

How about suggesting that she set up a little experiment. Maybe she'd like to get a little notebook and for a day or two she could record how much time she spends on various activities. Then, maybe she'd like to analyze that data and make a plan for her ideal day. If she's looking for mental stimulation some of this data could be put into a spreadsheet.

The purpose of this activity is that it would take you out of the position of being the one to be responsible or to be blamed when she runs out of hours in the day. And, it would also help her see that she is not stuck. She can observe what is happening and make a different choice.

All that said, it never hurts to offer some empathy and understanding. Many times I've wished there are more hours in the day to read and it is a disappointment when I'm tired and I have to let a good book go. Sometimes at the end of the day I feel regret when I realize that I could have spent my time differently.

Passthepotatoes- Thanks for your help. I just didn't think of this. Those are the type of words I need. Sometimes, I just don't get my kids and get stuck.

It feels like she is being ambitious with the reading so I would like her to feel satisfied. Maybe she just needs to know what she is doing is actually fine. This may be part of her perfectionism.

Hmm. As a Mom, I never feel like I'm doing enough. Iv'e been working on this. Maybe I could tell her when I'm satisfied. I'm trying to say more "ok that's enough house work for the day", let's go play it doesn't have to be perfect here, just liveable. This forum gets me thinking more. Thanks for being there.

I sure know that feeling. I bet we all do!

My classroom evaluations from elementary school all say that I often read instead of doing the assignments I was supposed to So I understand your daughter's constant need for reading.

Is she finishing all the books she checked out (or all she wants to read, as sometimes one brings a book home and finds it is not worth one's time as you get into it, which is okay)? My mom had a limit that I could only take as many books as I could carry out from the library (I stacked 'em from my fingertips to my chin!), but she would take me about as often as I wanted to go (often more than once a week in the summer). I have taken pity on my Ds and got them a heavy duty, large bag for library books so they aren't at risk of dropping the whole stack like I was. Also, if you can mix it up a bit by occasionally going to different branches of the library, she gets more choice.

I just wonder if it is as PTP said, and the issue is just there are so many good books and so little time! There are worse vices for children to have than craving more time with books.

Our usual library staff has asked several times, Are you homeschooling? No, my kids just like to read. My kids always finish the books they start.

We switched to a bigger library for the summer which everyone likes. (They even have some wii games). I limit the books to 15 a week to be managable. We also have a small home library for back up.

Yes, I know this is actually wonderful to have such reading interest and I feel lucky. I do appreciate the insight to help me understand my kids better.

I think this is extremely common. My DS6 is one of the many who've been reading since they were 2, and he flies through books like food. I think it's perfectly normal and healthy, esp. when you consider how many children in this country spend equal amounts of time bouncing between their tv and electronics.

I wouldn't be at all concerned. 10-15 isn't that much when they're reading a lot, and mine also reads at least 3 hours a day (including about 2 hours before he falls asleep every night). Once they have strong reading comprehension, they can fly through the children's shelves. I wondered about the speed when mine read the first Harry Potter in 3 1/2 hours, but he aced a reading comp. portals quiz afterwards, so I know he's actually absorbing it. In an average summer day, he can polish off 3 regular chapter books in an afternoon.

Likewise, my toddler is a bookaholic and insists on reading about 20 books a day. I'm not sure what we're doing right, but it's great when they love to read!!

I agree with most everyone else...

Some children just love reading and continue to be voracious readers as adults.