Only four people recalled their parents reading to them every night. Mothers were cited more frequently than fathers as the ones who read bedtime stories. Another 10 said they were read to occasionally by one or both parents. Two people said their parents stopped reading to them when they were able to read on their own (at about age 5 or 6). Two people said their fathers made up stories for them and one person said he listened to stories on audiocassettes sometimes instead of having a bedtime story.

One person said that reading was not emphasized as much as getting good grades in school. Therefore, there was no singing and rhyming, no help with homework, no reading to him, no cultural or social outings and no visits to the public library. He said his parents expected their children to “excel and work hard even though they did not know how to do it.” Another said, “My parents were old school and worked most of the time.”

Table 11 includes comments respondents made about being read to as a child.

Table 11. Reading children
Reading behavior Number of
responses		 Occupation Comments
Parents read to child every night 4 B n=2
C n=1
D n=1		 They read to me every night.
My mom is an avid reader; she read novels to us every night, one hour per night for sure.
Parents read bedtime stories sporadically 10 0 n=3
A n=2
B n=3
C n=2		 Mom read to me three nights a week.
They read to me sporadically; it wasn’t a ritual.
Parents stopped reading to child once s/he could read 2 0 n=1
B n=1		 Mom read bedtime stories to me every night when I was a small child, but stopped when I could read on my own.