Musing Monday

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about boys and reading…




Do you know of any young boys who do not like to read? Why do you think boys so often don’t? What can we do to encourage them to read more?

Wow - this is a subject I know almost nothing about! I am the proud mother of 3 daughters, and the only boys I have contact with on a regular basis are my dad, my hubby, my brother, my nephew and my 2 future son-in-laws.

When it comes to these boys (men), the concensus is half and half. My hubby and my nephew (age 15) are huge readers, but my dad and my brother rarely read anything other than car magazines and the newspaper.

My oldest 2 daughters are both getting married in 2009 - one boy is a reader, the other isn't. The reader is more interested in graphic novels and video games, while the non-reader also enjoys video games, but he is a big hunter. I really don't know why one is a reader and the other isn't.

I don't know if boys are more caught up in sports or cars to be interested in reading - this would be the case with my dad and my brother. When I was in high school, most of my "boy friends" could care less about reading - they were too busy working on their dream cars or practicing for the upcoming football or basketball games.

From everything I've heard about boys and reading, I think the Harry Potter franchise helped to start more boys reading at a younger age. I have noticed over the past few years, more and more young adult books geared toward boys than girls, so I hope this trend continues.

I think children - boys or girls - will grow up to be readers if they are read to often when they are young. I think that is the biggest way to encourage reading among both sexes. Read to your children from birth - they may not understand the words, but they will understand the closeness and the bond of a regular reading time.