Don’t Make Reading a Fight
Happy New Year! Welcome 2026!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family. Hopefully, you were able to rest and relax over the break. My family did not travel over the break, and we did a lot of relaxing over the break, which was very needed!
Over the break, we saw some friends and their kids, which was really nice. The conversation turned to what everyone’s kids are currently reading. And, some of the parents expressed frustration over their kids reading books like, Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Dog Man. They said that they want their children reading “better” book, but when I asked what that meant, I did not get a clear answer. After listening to the conversation, I came to the conclusion that they do not love all of the language that is in these book series (and it’s the language that the kids find funny).
What struck me is that the parents were also concerned that their kids are not reading enough. To be clear, the kids are reading the books that I listed above, they just seem to be books that parents do not love.
Here’s my take - if your child is reading, don’t make it a fight. If the goal is that your child reads, then you have to let them read books that they are interested in reading and want to read. One thing that I find really damaging is to say negative things about the books that your kids are reading. If they are reading books that are completely inappropriate, that’s another issue. But, if they are reading popular books that are appropriate, then, don’t make it an issue. Instead, compliment them for reading!
Last year at this time, I took my older daughter to a bookstore because she wanted to use some of the gift cards she had received for Christmas. She came up to me with a pile of five graphic novels and said to me, “you probably want me to get other ‘better’ books, but I really like reading graphic novels before bed. They help me relax.” I was so shocked by her comment that I would want her reading ‘better’ books because I had never commented on her reading graphic novels. After explaining that I am thrilled that she is aware of what books help her relax and that one book is not ‘better’ than another, she told me where she had heard that comment about graphic novels.
On January 2nd, there was an article in the Atlantic that began by stating that if you read one book in 2025, then you belong to an endangered species because reading is in decline (Reading is a Vice, 2 Jan. 2026). I really believe that if we want our kids to read, we have to be encouraging rather than discouraging and we need to let them read books that they are excited to read without being negative about them.
Choice is great for kids. It gives them agency and motivates them to keep reading. So, this year, encourage your kids to read the books that they want to read rather than fighting about the books that you think they should be reading.