Today I spent my afternoon doing the only thing I knew would take me out of my misery– reading.
I grabbed Mario Vargas Llosa’s “The Time of the Hero” and moved my most comfortable chair into the balcony, forgetting about all of my responsibilities. Just a date with my book.
When I was younger, reading was a great part of my development. I was one of those kids who would sneak a book into biology class and read it while the teacher was explaining photosynthesis. I remember smiling to myself when I read “Living to Tell the Tale” by Gabriel García Márquez, and he said that he used to do the same thing when he was a teenager.
It really makes me sad to think of the new generations and how good reading habits are getting lost.
I found an article about the reading habits of young people from the BBC Web site. I was very surprised by how the new generations are choosing online sites as reading materials, and I was very sad to see that this is a trend among young people. This is just wrong.
I think that parents should take action because reading is essential to the development of their children. Plus, it is a very good way to spend time with their children because it is a more interactive alternative to television. Parents should read to their children.
Here is a list of tips I found of how to teach your children good reading habits. I find steps one, four and six especially useful because it is very important to pick a good spot, a time frame and read something while your child is reading. I remember my mother used to make me read for 20 minutes every afternoon before doing my homework. She would let me pick the book, and she designated a place in our house so that I could read without being interrupted. Now that I am about to graduate from college, I thank her everyday for the great reading habits I developed.
After all, it doesn’t matter what language you prefer to read in; the only thing that truly matters is that you do it. So go ahead, get off the computer screen and grab a book. I assure you that it will enrich your life.
