Does the new generation of "The @World" parents read books?

Dear Bloggers,

Your child and You too should read a book in our YouTube world!


When I look outside the world looks pretty sad as it is pooring rain all day long, it is cold and wet. These are the first signs that the dark autumn day are coming. After diner I turn on the heating and automaticly I turn on the television. After watching my favorite sitcom two and a half men, I lay on the couch and grab a book. I have not been reading a book for at least half a year. Our two cats hop on my lap and wander what I am doing. But soon they lay down and fall asleep.

I really want to know how to raise a confident reader? Should you read a book, scan blogs, go to YouTube, or watch TV? What is the best method to get my kids to read? Modern parents have lots of options for finding information, we had to figure things out by reading in the encyclopedia or borrow detailed books from the library. Every parent knows you are supposed to read to your child, but in the print versus digital world do busy parents have time to read a book.

Lucky me as my youngest is just learning to read and is pretty frustrated that this reading thing is taking time. So grandma gave her a book with pictures and readable words for a kid from her age. And she is so proud that she can read a book. My eldest daughter is reading a book a week from Carry Slee who is famous among the Dutch teenagers. She is writing in her typical own style, it is mix of excitement, romantic and fictionary passages according to my daughter. I am happy that she is reading good old fashioned printed on paper kind of books. As there is nothing so nice then sitting on the couch reading a book.

In 1955 Rudolph Flesch wrote “Why Johnny Can't Read” and reached millions of parents. Maybe it is time for a comparable guide for 21st century parents, and maybe it should be a short film on Youtube. As statistics tell me that today's parents don't read books! Are we at risk for failure raising our children due to tech-forward approaches? Why should we read a book if you can pop it in a video, plop your kid in front of the tube, and let the machine teach her? Hmmmm……I learned a lot by reading all kinds of books, but I hardly read newspapers anymore, the headlines I read on the internet version on my smartphone.

If it was up to me and I had to choose between television and a good book. My choice will be easy it will be the book. Do not think that I don’t enjoy the modern technical enhanced world that we are living in. A downside is the haste that we have created in our fast lane lives. Maybe we should take things a step slower and enjoy the things around us. Eventhough the weather is miserable, there is no reason to become depressed but just relax and read a book. Or even better sit down with your kid and read to them. A lot of fairytales are made by great storiytellers as well.

In my passionate attempt to help guide these poor parents, in this admittedly tech-challenged world and this digitally befuddled author is sandwiching blog posting, driving the bus, reading books, watching television and all of this spiced up with YouTube, Hyves, Twitter, and Facebook.

And they lived happily ever after…..

The Old Sailor,