According to a new study, a lot of parents don’t have the time to read a bedtime story, and it’s incredibly sad.
As a mum, I spent years sitting beside my child as I read her a bedtime story.Long before she even understood what I was saying.
Now that’s she’s older, bedtime stories are no more and it’s something I really miss.
There is just something so incredible about sitting by your child, with just a desk lamp and silence as you explore new worlds and different characters together.
Books can really introduce you to different things, and it’s incredible to be able to learn something new with your child.
However, according to a new study, a lot of parents don’t have the time to read a bedtime story, and it’s incredibly sad.
Yes, parenting is tough – tying to fit everything in, manage a career and keep the house in some kind of order is incredibly hard.
But a survey from Booktrust in the UK found that 65 percent of parents hand their child a phone or a tablet at bedtime, instead of sitting down with a book with them.
However, the reason is not solely due to parents choosing devices over books; for many, work and a long commute can greatly impact on their ability to be home for bedtime.
And it’s because of this that while 50 percent say they would love to share a book with their child, only 28 percent do.
“I know from experience that it can be tempting to replace reading to your child with time on a device – but swapping books for tech can have profound consequences,” BookTrust director Gemma Malley said.
“However, just ten minutes of reading a book together a day makes such a difference. “It helps build children's language, resilience, confidence and imagination and is an amazing way for families to bond.
Do you find the time to read to your child in the evenings?
Written by Mary Byrne, Content Executive at Family Friendly HQ. Follow her on Twitter: @marybyrne321
