Death of the Bedtime Story?

Consider this a call to action:

Blame it on working parents who are too tired. Or on the potent tug of TV and computer.

Whatever the cause, it seems the bedtime story -- and the ritual of parents reading to their children regardless of the hour -- may be losing its hold on American family life.

If so, it’s more than just the loss of a quaint custom. Researchers and child-development specialists say reduced rates of shared reading time can hurt family cohesion, stymie creative development in younger children and drag down academic achievement.

If this report distresses you -- and it certainly distresses us -- we have a strong suggestion. If there is a child in your care, don’t be diverted from your raise-a-reader goal. Pluck half an hour a day from your schedule to read to your child.

For little ones, choose picture books with illustrations you admire and stories you relate to or that you feel your child will enjoy. Since you’re to be part of this process, it’s important you start with something both of you will like.

With older children, you’ll want to select something together and, at a certain stage, perhaps alternate reading: a page for your child, a page for you so that reading to your child becomes reading together which, of course, ultimately becomes reading for pleasure.

Approached with an open heart and a sense of mild fun, the bedtime story can become the winding down spot for your child’s day as well as an oasis of calm in your own overcrowded life. Remember: it’s not something to be gotten through, but something to be savored and relished. Additionally and ideally, this ritual will become a special memory and time of bonding that both of you cherish forever.