Did Your Parents Read To You As a Child?

[ultamentkiller]

I'm doing this poll to see how many readers are affected by their parents reading to them when they are younger. I've asked this question directly, but never put it in poll form. So feel free to select your choice and discuss!

Note: Selecting yes or no does not mean you support either side of the question. That's for discussing in the comments. The poll is mere data.

[Henry Dale]

"Dinosaur stories before bedtime" is still my guilty pleasure   

[Hedin]

I don't remember but I assume so.  I remember being four and going to the library for story time and checking out books.  I don't know how good my reading ability was at that time but I have to imagine my parents read to me before that. 

I do know that with my daughter I was reading her books when she was just a few days old.  She's a couple months shy of three right now and she won't let us read to her anymore though. iInstead she gives me a book to read and then she'll pick up a book to "read" herself.  She's even requiring us to let her have a book in bed which brought back memories of me reading in bed with a flashlight for most of my childhood.

[Peat]

My parents read me the Hobbit and in retrospect it's possibly been one of the most formative things done for me

By most accounts, I was very late to begin reading. When I did though, I started reading everything in the house... but I don't think I'd have done so without them reading to me.

[tebakutis]

Absolutely!

I credit my mother reading me all the Chronicles of Narnia, one at a time, with my lifelong interest in science fiction and fantasy. I loved those books, and that was almost certainly the spark that led to me checking out 10-12 random sci-fi books from the library every few weeks. Once I could read on my own, I read voraciously every night before bed.

I have absolutely no doubt reading those hundreds of books planted the seeds for the majority of the ideas that come in my own writing. I personally believe pretty much every idea we have, as writers, is inspired by an idea we saw, read, or absorbed in another medium. So the more seeds you plant (by absorbing other media) the more ideas you'll have, and (in my opinion) those ideas will be of higher quality.

My wife and I currently read to the little one every night (just baby books, since she's not even 2) but once she's a bit older, I plan to read the Chronicles of Narnia to my little one as well, since they're just such fun and interesting books. If that spikes an interest in SFF she shares with Dad, all the better.

[Jeni]

Similar to Hedin, I have to assume that my mum read to me and my sister when we were very young, but I don't actually ever remember it happening. I do remember regular trips to the library on Saturday mornings once we were able to read by ourselves.... and I think its more likely that it was me and my sister that read to my brother when he was a baby.

My mum doesn't remember ever doing 'storytime' or reading to us before bedtime but she would sit under the window in our bedroom and use the streetlamp outside our house as light to read by until we were all asleep. She always had a book and she made sure that we were never short of anything to read, and we were all avid readers as children.

My dad didn't read to me, but he did give me his pocket dictionary when I was about 6 or 7 (I think he was fed up with me asking to explain words I didn't know - I'd often pick books to read that were meant for older children because I'd get through books aimed at my own age far too quickly for my liking!) - and thinking about that now, that's probably the best present he ever gave me because it meant I could read everything! 

[Mr.J]

Yup. Roald Dahl. Dr Seuss.

[Alex Hormann]

To the best of my knowledge, no. But I was raised to read for myself from a very early age.

[ScarletBea]

Definitely!
I remember either my dad or my mum sitting in my bed reading to both me and my sister before lights out.
Then I started reading by myself, but still encouraged us.

My dad registers everything by photos, and all the photos I have of my birthday/Christmas, with all my presents under the tree, show lots of books

I don't think I ever saw my parents without a book on the go either, which of course encouraged me. It also makes it really sad that my mum says she can't read properly anymore after her stroke, she can't concentrate enough to remember what came before - but she's getting better

My sister and brother in law are also reading lots to my nieces, they're growing up surrounded by books

[ultamentkiller]

I've been read to from the very beginning. I remember my Mom or my sisters coming in and reading to me before I fell asleep. Lots of times I would demand a story before I would attempt to dream. And I remember always listening to an audio book as a family whenever we took long car rides. And then there were the times when we would all gather in the living room, and listen to my mom read a book. I think my brother is the only person who doesn't actively read whenever he has the chance.

Also, sorry for slightly screwing up the poll. I should've paid more attention to the options. I just saw the post button and hit it, and didn't realize I hadn't messed with the options until 30 minutes to an hour later. I doubt it would mess with the results, but still.

[Elfy]

My parents did a lot, as did my grandparents. Learning to read myself was a big thing about going to school for me as a kid.

[Lanko]

Never.

Although I gained lots of comics weekly to read.

[Hedin]

My dad registers everything by photos, and all the photos I have of my birthday/Christmas, with all my presents under the tree, show lots of books

Speaking of photos my mom has one of me when I was four or five reading a book while sitting on the toilet.   For my high school graduation party they had that photo blown up to poster size.

[Blackthorn]

A few chapters every night before bed well after I was old enough to read to myself

[Elfy]

There was one book: The Little Gingerbread Man, that I liked to hear a lot. My father got so sick of reading it to me, that one night he kept referring to The Little Gingerbread Man as The Rotten Little Gingerbread Man. I liked that version so much, that every time I wanted it thereafter I asked him to do that to it when he read it.