When did you stop reading to your kids?

[Anonymous]

At what age did you stop reading to your kids? What did you do to still get quality time?

My daughter is starting middle school and I still read to her. We both like it, she gets to ask me words she doesn’t understand or about messages in the book. She is also into graphic novels so I read chapter books.

Also, it is our quality time. She shares and opens up during that time. I am the busy type that checks off my to-do list during the day. I am afraid that once we stop I won’t have that time to connect and share, which is critical for teen years. How do you make sure you connect with you pre-teens/teens?

[Anonymous]

Is this the humblest of big brags? I don't think you need to worry so much about not staying connected

[Anonymous]

Still going with my 7th grade boy. I love it.

[Anonymous]

Still reading to/with our MSer.

[Anonymous]

I still read to my 13 and 15 yos. They enjoy that I change for my voice for different characters, but the protagonist always has my voice. They also say it frees them up to picture the story in their minds. They read on their own, but prefer I read more challenging novels aloud. I spend 20-30 minutes a night reading to them. I'll keep at it as long as they want me to.

[Anonymous]

We continued to have bedtime time with the kids probably into 7th grade. With DD that was always reading. DS lost interest in me reading to him so we'd use the time to watch funny youtube videos together. It was still a way to connect and prompt conversations.

[Anonymous]

High school

[Anonymous]

OP - thank you! So good to hear there are parents reading 📖 in MS. I was wondering if I was treating my daughter too much like a baby

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I'll still read aloud on a long family trip. Not often, but once in awhile.

- mom to teens

[Anonymous]

My dad still reads aloud to everyone at family gatherings sometimes when we ask (he does the voices best of anyone). I’m nearly 40. You don’t have to stop unless one of you wants to.

[Anonymous]

As long as they’ll let me. My high schooler stopped letting me read to him around 8, I think, when his ability to read longer chapter books really picked up. My younger kid is 9 and loves to read to herself, but also still loves to be read to.

[Anonymous]

I still read to be 13 yr old DD every night until a few months ago. Mine sounds like like yours. She loves graphic novels, fantasy and sci fi books. Together we read chapter books: the classics mostly like Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen, Alexandre Dumas, James Harriot.

Now that she is a lot more homework this yr is is less frequent. I had the same fear as you. But I still go to her room every night and we spend time together and chat on her bed, or talk about the day as she gets ready for bed. With or without the reading, she is still very open to talking and opening up right before bed in the late evening

[Anonymous]

8 Years old

He reads by his self and enjoys alone time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: 8 Years old

He reads by his self and enjoys alone time.

To answer the OP, we chat on the way to the bus stop in the more morning and in the afternoon on the way back home. The first 15-20 minutes inside the house we chat about the day while I make an afternoon snack.

We also chat during dinner and have family time after dinner before getting ready for bed.

I still check in before bedtime, after they’re done reading as they’ll keep reading otherwise, and we say our good nights.

I think the last thing I read to them was the Harry Potter series and even then, they read the last chapters. Ever since they’ve read on their own and enjoy it which is nice.

[Anonymous]

I quit reading to them around 2nd or 3rd grade. That's the time by which they are supposed to be reading books on their own and seemed kind of odd to be reading to a kid of that age