I have a kid under 2, and I’ve noticed a big change in my reading habit since they were born.
The main thing is that it’s harder for me to challenge myself in reading now. I’ve always alternated between fiction and non-fiction, and I still do that. But I find that I’m falling back into my “wheelhouse” (as The Reading Glasses ladies would call it) more often than I used to: light SF/Fantasy and American history. I used to force myself to read outside those genres (and usually liked the experience) but now it’s hard to get up the energy.
Oh and also I’ve read “Where’s Spot?” 50,000 times.
I’m curious what changes others have noticed?
by limitedprophecy
4 Comments
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I switched entirely from physical books to an e-reader after kids. It’s the only way I can sneak in reading throughout the day.
I basically don’t read anymore, it’s really depressing. I’ve been trying to get it back but my son is higher needs, I’m chronically ill, and I work part time. Between cleaning and illness and work and children I barely have energy.
Before kids and when not in grad school, I read an average of maybe 30 or 35 books per year, usually in the evenings.
Now I have an intellectually demanding 9-5 job and my evenings until 9 or 10 pm are devoted to child care and housework. So, maybe 2 nights per week I can read for about 30 minutes, and that’s all the mental/emotional capacity I have for it. I probably average 15 books per year.
I still read fiction almost exclusively, but I find I don’t have much stomach for books featuring troubled parent-child relationships or anything even a little sad happening to a child. I also used to love loooooong books, books that were slow and reflective, and/or books with complex stories, but I really struggle with those now. I think it’s because of my reading pace–the long books feel twice as long, the slow books are twice as slow, and I can’t keep track of what’s going on when the story is complex because I read so infrequently.
Also, I read a lot of Little Critter and PAW Patrol books.
I’m not too bothered about it. Everything in life, and especially in parenting, is a phase. These books will still be around when my kids are older and don’t want to spend so much time with me.
And I’m really looking forward to introducing more of my favorites to my kids through read alouds. I just ordered a copy of The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, which was my favorite when I was in preschool, and I have a long list of others that I loved at different ages, and a few that I missed out on as a kid but have heard are excellent.