I previously wrote an article about how to make reading fun, especially for summer reading. Schools seem to be determined to destroy children’s love for learning and their love for reading. Summer book assignments are usually replete with books that have difficult and convoluted story lines that make it impossible to sink into the story content and become emotionally involved in the plot. Instead, schools seem to push the mechanics of reading, which necessitates children tripping over every other word. I am a college professor and I love reading, but I must confess that when I attempt to read some of the summer choices, I cannot even follow the plot or keep track of the characters, who usually have difficult, bizarre names. I guess that authors are trying to be politically correct when choosing the names. God bless the ACLU.
My wish is for children to develop a deep love for reading. I would love it if more and more parents wrote to me asking what to do if at bedtime they find their child hiding under the covers with a flashlight unable to stop reading after lights are supposed to be out. My answer is – smile, and leave him or her alone. You’re winning. Actually, it is your child who is winning.
What about comic books? It is a complete myth that comic books are bad for reading skills. Perhaps we should remove them from the Sunday papers? The goal is to get children to want to read, read, and read some more. It does not matter if they read the backside of cereal boxes or comic books. Reading is reading, and the more the child loves what he or she reads the more he or she will read. Reading skills will automatically improve by the act of reading itself. Comic books are fun. Some of the old hero or Marvel comics are now taught at universities as rather good science fiction. These same comics were attacked as bad for kids even when I was a kid, which was a thousand or so years ago; just ask my sons.
I do think that is important to guide children to read comic books that are not risqué or loaded with too much graphic violence. There are tons of comics filled with stories that are appropriate for children. One of my parent-patients was recently told the allowing her child to read Garfield was bad. Balderdash! I personally love Garfield’s dry sense of humor and his snide comments about adult’s silly behaviors.
It is a good idea to vary your child’s reading choices. Reading only comics is not what I am suggesting. Reading a variety of books and comics is fun, and fun is the name of the game. If comics help your child develop a love for reading then go for it, and ignore all the so called experts filled with elitist nonsense.
About Dr. Dave: Dr. David B. Stein is a Professor at Virginia State University, in Virginia. He is the author of Ritalin Is Not the Answer; The Ritalin Is Not the Answer Action Guide; Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco: Successful Parenting Without Drugs; Stop Medicating, Start Parenting; and Controlling the Difficult Adolescent.
