Using a suggestion from Erin today:
When growing up did your family share your love of books? If so, did one person get you into reading? And, do you have any family-oriented memories with books and reading? (Family trips to bookstore, reading the same book as a sibling or parent, etc.)
I think “indoctrination” is absolutely the right word to describe my experience. Reading is definitely a family tradition for me. Both my parents have always been readers, but especially my mother, which is particularly notable given her legally-blind status, even with glasses. (I still believe to this day that the deterioration of what little vision she had was a factor in her post-menopausal depression and early-onset Alzheimer’s.) I was reading by myself by the time I was four, and at that point I didn’t want to be read to anymore – I lacked the patience to sit and listen.
Weekly trips to the library were one of our favorite treats. My father had cousins who owned a bookstore, and I remember a few visits there as well. My aunt was an elementary-school teacher who often picked out books for my sister and me. As I got older, I started buying more books and borrowing them less often from the library, and I would often raid my mom’s bookshelves.
The family tradition has continued with my son, and I’m glad that even though I can’t claim any credit for it, my stepkids are big readers too.
Is that what it is? A lack of patience to sit and listen? LOL I prefered to read myself or do the reading out loud for much of my older childhood too. I’m still the same way. For me though, I find that I comprehend better when I read something than just by hearing it.
LF – I’m the same way as far as understanding things better when I read them rather than hear them. But I do think that my loss of interest in being read to really was due to lack of patience, and wanting to do it myself (since I’m still like that).
i’m not sure if i was “indoctrinated” to reading – but my mom certainly encouraged it (as i explain in my BTT post here).