Image source: Molly Darling
BabyCenter en Español has released the results of yet another survey. This particular survey was about fathers and how they interact with their children. Here is the data that caught my eye:
Actividades preferidas que los papás disfrutan hacer con sus niños:
• Jugar con él: 60%
• Dormir con él: 18%
• Bañarlo: 13%
• Leerle un cuento: 1%
• Otra cosa: 9%Source: BabyCenter en Español
Do you see that? Favorite activities for fathers to do with their children and “Read him/her a story” received only 1% of the vote… That disturbs me and I’ll tell you why.
When my younger son, (now 10 years old), started preschool, I volunteered a lot in the classroom. One project I ended up taking over was the “reading bags” … Basically each child had a cloth tote bag and they would take home two or three books in the bag each week. I would rotate the books out, talk with the kids to see if they had read the books or had been read to, find out their interests so I could choose books they’d be more likely to read, etc.
My son’s classroom was at least 90% Latino, (mostly first generation American, with parents being recent immigrants from Mexico), and so a lot of interesting things came into play. First, most of the books I had available in the classroom were in English and the kids were telling me that their parents couldn’t read the books to them. I requested more Spanish language books and once I got those, some of the kids seemed to be getting read to more often, although some still did not. Some of the challenges we faced included parents who couldn’t read well (or at all) even in their native Spanish, parents who didn’t have time or were too tired to read, and parents who didn’t see reading with their child as a valuable activity because they weren’t raised with books.
A couple of these children weren’t even sure how to hold a book when they started the school year, (they would hold it upside down and/or backward, flip the pages the wrong direction, etc.) Once I pinpointed the children who were not being read to, I volunteered more time to not just rotate the books in the bags, but to stay and read one-on-one with those children. I came close to tears sometimes because the way they snuggled into my lap and looked forward to this time together made me realize how many kids out there are missing out on something that is so incredibly valuable and absolutely free.
The benefits of reading to your children from a young age have been proven, but if one isn’t raised in a book reading household, the chances that they’ll read to their children are significantly lower. This is a problem for the Latino community in particular because although the BabyCenter survey refers to fathers, the truth is that even Latina mothers are less likely to read to their children than Caucasian/Anglo mothers.
Getting kids hooked on reading at an early age is especially important for boys, who are less likely to read for leisure than girls.
Even if you weren’t raised in a reading household, you can change that for your kids – read to them regularly and some day they will read to their children regularly – It’s that simple. You can set future generations of your family on a new path with this one act, (and you may even come to love reading yourself if you don’t already.)
Other ways to encourage reading in the Latino community
• Next time you’re invited to the birthday party of a niece/nephew or friend’s child, why don’t you gift that child a book? I always try to do this and my husband, Carlos, says that culturally books are not seen as “a good gift” – If you worry it will be perceived that way, choose a gift pack that includes a toy along with the book.
• Donate bilingual books to your local library and/or schools. Teachers love when people buy books for their classrooms through Scholastic.
• Tell people with young bilingual or Spanish-speaking children about Read Conmigo. It’s 100% free – Just sign up and a bilingual book is delivered to you each month in the mail.
• Support (with your money or time), programs in your community that teach illiterate adults how to read, (English or Spanish), as well as ESOL programs.
• Volunteer in the classroom – especially if you’re bilingual and can help meet a need not being met due to staff cuts and tight budgets. Teachers often love having their newsletter translated to Spanish so they have a better chance of keeping non-English-speaking parents informed. Ask your child’s teacher, or the local Elementary school how you can help.
• Get caught reading! Let your kids, nieces, nephews, neighborhood children, see you reading a book. If they admire you, this will affect their view of books and reading in a positive way.
• Other resources: Check out Mommy Maestra and this article by the author of Mommy Maestra, Monica Olivera, on Mamiverse: Improving Latino Children’s Literacy.
What do you think? Is the Latino community behind when it comes to teaching kids a love of books and reading? What are your experiences as a child and/or as a parent? Were you read to? Do you read to your kids?
Wow, I definitely understand your concern and why this is a problem in the Latino community, but in a way I kind of also understand the poll and its results. I’m definitely not an avid reader with my son, and never have been. Before, when he was younger, he would ask me a lot more often to read to him. Nowadays he knows what he wants to read and he can read it himself – usually it’s something more trendy than anything else; the last book I bought him was the Hunger Games – although he doesn’t do so nearly as often as we would like. In truth, reading to him was always something my wife took on more so than myself and that she genuinely seemed to enjoy more. I enjoyed all of the things on your list a little bit more. Still, your article is making me rethink this approach and I may just visit the local library with Edgar to pick out a couple of books we can read together. Gracias!
Juan – I’m sure my husband would say something very similar, (in that I’m the one who reads to our boys 95% of the time and I do indeed enjoy it more than he would since he just doesn’t particularly like to read.) – That being said, I think it’s really important for fathers to read to their sons. Boys tend to be read to mostly by women – mothers, grandmothers, babysitters, daycare providers, librarians, teachers – and as a result, they come to an age where they begin to see reading as a “girl thing” – and they slowly stop doing it on their own.
I’m glad the article made you re-think your approach. I hope you and Edagar make a trip together to the biblioteca soon – just the guys!
Tracy, that´s so interesting what you mention about boys being read by mostly by women and then associating it to be a girl thing. Never thought of it that way!
Juan, I´m also not surprised by the results because It´s the same in my household. First of all, I don´t remember EVER being read to by my dad or grandfathers. My husband does read to our girl every other night (we take turns with the nightly routine), but mostly because it´s part of our routine. I´ve never seen him choose to read a book to her or take her to the library just because.
In reference to the article and reading culture, my wife referred me to this article and asked if I could post a comment as I am one of the “one percenter” dad’s represented in the mentioned survey….Lol. She and I were brought up in immigrant, working class households and it’s fair to say there was no “reading culture” in our home in the traditional sense. So introducing this “culture” to our household was a new experience and a great one at that. Yet in fairness, by “reading culture” I mean being read to since my earliest memories are of my grandmother religiously reading the newspaper in the living room, so too my father arriving from work every day with a folded up La Opinion newspaper, or a fresh copy of the paper on weekend mornings over his cup of coffee on the dining table. This meant that the discussion of world events, local news, or the next Dodger game were through the cadences of Spanish at home.
Part of the dynamic and dimension in this experience for me now as a second-generation Spanish-speaking parent are aspects of identity since our concern is the preservation of Spanish, which studies show that like most (if not all) other languages that reach these shores, meets a natural death by the third generation. With this reality, reading to our third generation sons has significant implications with a real sense that we are paddling against the current. So as a Dad, this is why I read to them, and particularly in Spanish, at the moment.
The most immediate is the bonding experience and the nurturing of loving words and language. That’s worth it all. The other is the formation of identity and self awareness through Spanish, which later will translate to English Also, I find that reading to our sons, particularly in Spanish, is an act of self-identification because it allows me to teach them phrases, anecdotes, songs, stories, and experiences of their Nana and Tata (my mom and dad), for example, through their language (Spanish). By reading, am also able to excercise my bilingualism with them in a strongly personal level through the power of story. What emerges is a reciprocity in bonding, memory building and learning. Reading in Spanish, as such, is a sort of inheritance of identity through the sentimental quality that it provides, just like each language uniquely provides, respectively. Lastly, reading to our sons is a way to deliver a message that mastery of words in Spanish, for example, will translate to mastery of words in English with love and appreciate for both, all the while grounded in a firmly rooted sense of place and time. So as a Dad, I read with a deep sense of purpose and respect for their linguistic enrichment, and for the preservation of a family inheritance.
I have to admit it is mostly all a wonderful experience, but at times I cannot help but feel the burden of the responsibility in assuring that the Spanish is retained and that it thrives alongside its English brother, soon to be born. (We will be introducing our two year old to English in the fall).
Paddling…
Bolero, this was so eloquently stated that it was even better than my original post. Thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re right that “reading culture” doesn’t exclusively refer to being read a book at bedtime, (although this has unique benefits) – Your father and grandmother definitely set an example by having newspapers around and by simply modeling reading in front of you.
Your sons are fortunate that you invest the time in reading to them because, just like raising bilingual children, it does take extra effort and at times, it can feel exhausting – but as you know, it’s an invaluable gift you’re giving them.
I’m paddling along with you.
Tracy, It’s a pleasure to share and contribute. Thanks for paddling along. What we need against that current is a fine tuned motor boat! Ha.
Bolero, my husband is very much like you. He is always looking for new bilingual and Spanish language books to read with our son and is even on occasion willing to pay the crazy DHL shipping cost to order from Latin American publishing houses, especially from Norma’s Buenos Noches series. His parents were both busy professionales, but his father took his lunch breaks when he was little to come home for lunch and teach him to read before he started kindergarden. That is something that stuck with him and he is the same with our son.
All, I think that it is important to note that the problem will illiteracy in the Latino community is closely linked with class, it is something that will improve as people are able to improve their household’s socio-economic status and their education level. This is not a stigma of the Latino community, this is a reflection of class and it will dissipate with time and effort. Of all of the friends we have here our other Latino friends are just as likely, if not more so, to read with their children than our White, Black or Asian friends, but we are almost all professionals with bachelor’s degrees or higher.
Casey,
Just wanted to make sure you knew that we’re constantly reviewing and giving away both bilingual and Spanish children’s books, just check out our Books & Libros section for some of the latest: http://spanglishbaby.com/find-category/books-libros-2/
In fact, we’re currently giving away Mi primera enciclopedia del mundo…
Anyone raising bilingual children knows how difficult it is to find quality Spanish language books and/or bilingual books, so whenever we get our hands on anything we find worth sharing, we do so!
Thanks to both you and your husband for your insightful comments!
Casey, I agree that socio-economics usually play a huge part in this but it seems that according to one study I linked in the post, that even when you remove that factor, Latinas are statistically still less likely to read to their children than Anglo/Caucasian women. The women surveyed in this study all had children enrolled in Head Start programs, and Head Start is income based.
Casey, your husband had much first hand experience to draw from his parents in terms of strategies and value in reading to your son. Great to know he is carrying on the family tradition. Indeed, your socioeconomic/class concerns in regards to reading does demonstrate a correlation. Yet, I dare say that there are many immediate things that can be done in the meantime. Strategies for parents, for example, are aspects that can be provided without having to immediately tackle the class divide (which is real and legitimate). Also, I think it’s fair to say that the “reading culture” (reading to children) is not necessarily a value exclusive to middle- upper class folk. Where the discrepancies are found, I believe, are in strategies or first hand knowledge more so than a lack of value. I think Adriana’s campaign, for example, is a wonderful strategy that produces immediate and tangible results.
Great post on an important topic. My husband and I take turns putting our daughter to bed so that’s our daily reading time with her. She’s almost 3 and she loooooves to be read to, and is now “reading” books to us, too. I have to give props to my husband, whom I can hear from downstairs when he is reading to her because he gets so animated making voices and really gets into her stories. It always makes me smile. Reading is entertainment for our daughter. I know it can be a drag on parents who come home tired from work, but it’s so important for the kiddos. Once it’s part of a family’s daily routine, though, it’s something you don’t even think about anymore.
Cynthia – that’s so great that you guys take turns and I love that your husband gets into it with animated voices. Very sweet!
And you’re right – once it’s part of the bedtime routine, you don’t even have to think about it. Your kids will REMIND YOU whether you want to or not! LOL
Oh, yes! They do remind you! In fact, tonight we were packing for a cruise vacation we have in a couple of days and the first thing Camila packed into her little suitcase were a set of books (actually the ones from http://HeritageLanguages.com !!) She then turned to me and said: “Ya empaqué los libros para sue tengan qué leerme todas las noches!”
My husband actually started reading to her Dr. Seuss books in Spanish when she was in my belly. We had read somewhere (it must have been BabyCenter!) that since she heard my voice all day, all the time, it was important for the dad to speak directly to the belly when he was around me. It recommended reading since it would make it less awkward for the dad
what a great post! i always read to my son, even when I didn’t have any Spanish language books (i read Goodnight Moon religiously when he was a baby, i think he liked the different pitches my voice made) then i found great Spanish books on Amazon.com and at Target! now we read Dora the Explorer before going to bed. At first people said it was silly to read to him when he was so small, but he likes to open books and stare at the pictures, i know he’s soaking it all in!
ps. thanks for the recommendation! i will be checking out Read Conmigo!
Diana, I’m subscribed to Read Conmigo and we’ve gotten several books. My 10 year old looks forward to getting them in the mail – definitely sign up!
As for reading to a baby – I know people who read to their bellies when they’re pregnant! The baby hears it so I don’t think it’s strange at all
Tracy, a truly great and super informative post! After reading it and the comments, I came to the realization that, although my husband does read to our children here and there, I do most of the reading in the house. Both Vanessa and Santiago LOVE books, but I think you made a very strong point saying that because boys are usually read to by women, they get to a certain age where they think it’s a girly thing to do. I definitely do not want to be the case for my son, so I’ll be talking to my husband about doing more of the reading with him. Hopefully, we can prevent his getting turned off as he gets older. Thanks for opening my eyes to this!
Thanks, Roxana – happy to hear that. I’ve been trying to get Carlos to read more to the boys as well, or at least hold a book and pretend to read by himself once in awhile. LOL
Great article. In Texas, we just launched a campaign called “Leerle a nuestros niños” in which we work with parents to teach them strategies to read to their kids. When asked, most fathers consistently tell us that they secretly feel embarrassed reading to their kids, mimicking voices or trying to be “juguetones” (playful). Others say they fear losing authority in front of them. While these may not be the only reasons for fathers not to read to their children, they certainly play a role. The better we address them, the more successful we’ll be in developing this fundamental bonding activity. Let’s keep working to turn that 1% into a much higher figure.
Wow Adriana! That’s really interesting! That’s an awesome campaign – hope it becomes widespread outside of Texas.
Adriana is being humble! Check her out at the local Univision station introducing her program and reading one of the wonderful bilingual books she wrote, part of the Heritage Languages collection we’re fans of.
http://univisionaustin.univision.com/comunidad/despierta-austin/video/2012-05-30/pedro-y-margarita-lectura-para-padres-y-ninos
Wow! Fantastic interview. Adriana was being super humble for sure! LOL
Adriana, I commend the work that you are doing. Indeed, your campaign must deal with many sociological issues. The aspects of authority and gender identification are real and significant challenges. Reading, and particularly to children, does quite likely have a gender tinge. I suspect that there is a perception that reading is a passive interaction that clashes with male self- identification. That may be a source for that misplaced embarassment. In fact, reading is an immensely proactive and empowering action since it actually strengthens parental authority in the aspects of fostering educational expectations for children. Reading to children is a “do as I do” rather than “do as I say” method of promoting learning. Also, if both parents read, I perceive that what is developed is a genuine stance between mom y dad where the child knows that there is no parent to find an out later on when homework or school work is required to be done. Good luck in your efforts Adriana.