> The paper also noted that although reading with children is rare, it has not changed much over time.

This part really got to me, reading to one's children is rare? That's so sad. My toddler loves reading with me.

My dad read to me and my brother every night. When I became a teenager I read his (fairly complete) sci-fi collection for fun and we spent a ton of time discussing it together. It's surprising how similar our tastes are, I don't know if that's genetic or epigenetic but I suspect it doesn't matter and many people could have a similar experience.

I've been maintaining my own collection in the hope that I could give my own children (if I have any, which is looking increasingly less likely) the same experience.

I have been shocked by the monstrous neglect that is heaped on many children. A significant number of parents keep kids like worthless livestock. They do the bare minimum to not lose them to CPS and then kick them out at the first opportunity.

Spending as much time as it takes to read to your children every night is WAY more than these parents are willing to do. Children are lucky if they can eat more than one meal a day, sleep in a clean bed and have clean clothes to wear. Usually there are abused and neglected animals that will foul the household and bite the children. Money is spent on nicotine products, alcohol, fast food, and gambling. Any money spent on children is done so hesitantly.

This is why social services like daycare and public schools are so important. It is often the only chance many children will have to get the care and attention they need to survive until adulthood without huge mental and physical health issues.

It jumped out at me too. Are people not reading to their kids?!

I don't recall my parents reading with (or to) me, ever. maybe when i was two and I don't remember it? I never saw either one read for pleasure. I did know my dad would read fiction when waiting in airports when traveling, because he'd giv me the paperbacks when he'd get home. (I remember a Bantam Doc Savage reprint, Ludlum, Forsyth, and more). That said, I've always read for pleasure and do it daily.

I admittedly read less for myself nowadays, as I can only pick up an hour here or there, but I've read at least 10-20 pages per day for/with the kids for the last 8 years. The bonus with the 8 yo is that I've read books that didn't exist when I was young and thus never got around to, so I've read Percy Jackson, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter (not as good as the expectation), on top of reading the Hobbit for the 3rd time (her request) and a few repeated Narnia books (some of the latter written ones are quite a slog frankly). I'm hoping to keep this up for as long as they are receptive.

But solo reading I think I've only gotten through Exhalation, Silmarillion and Rendezvous with Rama in the last year.

I still read with my 5th graders every night. It's a nice time to connect with them and wind down before sleep.

How many people have yoyung children? It could just be a distribution/sampling problem.

I'd assume reading _with_ children and reading _to_ children are differentiated ?