How to make your kid a non-reader.

[conuly]

Warning, PDF file.

They always say, when encouraging parents to encourage kids to read, that parents should "appear to take an interest" in the kid's books. *laughs* We had to steal our books back from our parents if we ever wanted to read them! Do you know how friggin' annoying it is to find your mom or dad reading the book you "lost" right as you got to the good part???

Stupid advice.

Comments

[ladytalon.livejournal.com]

You're not supposed to correct the kid's pronunciation? I mean, I wouldn't do it harshly, but if she was practicing reading aloud and said something wrong.. err.. it would make her not want to read if I told her the actual word? Do they know how many words I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know how to pronounce because I've only seen them in text?

[rachelkachel]

I think once in a while is fine and can certainly save embarrassment - for example, my sister was 15 before she learned how to pronounce "conspicuous" - but if they're mispronouncing a lot of words then you can't possibly correct them every time and not annoy them.

It's like my dad never wanting to play the piano because his older brother would call out from the next room, "F-sharp, Jim!"

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

We have a running joke in our family from the time Connie (I think she was about 13) said "psychic", only she had only read it, never heard it, so now we always say it the way she did: "Fizz-kick"

[conuly]

I think the point is that if somebody's trying to tell you the house is on fire, you don't take the time to correct their grammar. Similarly, if your kid is saying something important, you listen to what they're saying, you don't just listen with a metaphorical red pen.

[ladytalon.livejournal.com]

Ooga brought up the point that it's the frequency of the corrections that matters; I was envisioning a mispronunciation every once in a while, not every other word.

[conuly]

The thing is, if your kid is reading, he or she will likely come up with a lot of words they can't pronounce. This isn't their fault, it's the fault of the English writing system. But if you're constantly correcting them for what they've learnt, instead of being happy that they're learning something, or listening to what they say, they'll stop trying to do that.

[ladytalon.livejournal.com]

I understand that. I'd still want to correct them if they were struggling with something, though.

But hey, I don't plan to have kids, so no worries that I'll mess them up. ^_~