Model literate behaviours.

Although they often engage in literacy activities in their home, parents usually separate themselves in both time and space from their children at these times. Very often they engage in these activities alone after their children are in bed. For example, Lynne states that if there was nothing on television that interested her, she would "sit in the kitchen and do [her] crossword" while her daughter is in the other room. Jane also enjoys doing crossword puzzles and does these several times a week when her children are asleep. Jill enjoys her word search puzzle books when her sons are in school or asleep. Michelle works on her alcoholism recovery program on the kitchen table while her children are playing elsewhere in the house or watching television downstairs.

Both Jill and Andrea enjoy various crafts by following patterns and directions in books. Jill has four large binders filled with various craft patterns. When the children are present during parental activities, the parents often describe the situation as being stressful because their children are demanding of their attention. For example, Lynne mentions that in the evenings her partner likes to read his Readers Digest books or the newspaper, while she is doing her crossword puzzles. Her daughter is then "bugging her father or something."

Some of the other literacy-related activities involve additional people outside of their homes. For example, Andrea sells products from a catalogue home business:

I sell [mail order Company 1] to a few people coming in and stopping…It's cards and ornaments and a few toys…I used to sell both [Company 1 and Company 2] at once but [Company 2] around here…hmm! I'd get the orders and stuff from people and then they don't want to pay for it when it comes in so I gave it up. I didn't have the money [to pay]. Now right off I collect the money. I send the order in with the money.