Is love of reading/books hereditary or is it a learned behaviour?

[cpeuf1]

As far as I am concerned, it cannot be in the blood. My parents simply do not read!! My mum only gets the local newspaper to see the local news and who was born, who is getting married...
My dad has a look at garden catalogues to buy seeds and that is it. But as far as books are concern, it is pretty much: Books? What books??
And I love reading!! I could spend the rest of my life locked up in a library and be perfectly happy...
So it has to be eduction, or... Who knows...

Caroline

[liverdodo]

My Mam read to us everyday and we joined the library at a very young age, it was like a treat going to change our books.

I suppose its a very good habit we pass on to our children, my eldest likes autobiography's, my youngest adventure story's and reads the news papers from cover to cover!

unfortunately the amount of homework thats given to even small children by the schools now a days, most will never have time to read a book.

[missangiescorner]

I believe it is learned too. Although my mum taught me to read when I was younger, neither she or my dad were avid readers.
I believe my love of reading also came from the fact that I was an only child up until age 12 so was very imaginative as a result of making up my own stories when playing by myself.
I blame my poor eyesight on sneaking to read at every opportunity, the worst being when I used to read under my pillow with a torch long after I should have been sleeping.
My enthusiasm for reading has definitely been passed onto my two daughters aged 10 and 4 who both reading and being read to, not because it's hereditary but because books have been a key part of thier lives since they were babies. My eldest daughter devours books and reads them over and over again. This makes me smile because she reminds me of myself when I was her age. My youngest is at the very early stages of reading however she loves being told stories and bedtimes are never a quick process as she has a way of sneaking several books onto the bedtime reading list.
TV and video games have their place and children can enjoy these too, however giving a child a love of stories from birth and subsequently books is wonderful as it nurtures creativity and imagination and keeps reading alive. There's nothing as wonderful as burying your nose in a good book and allowing your imagination take you to another place.

[SalusLibrorum]

I agree, it's learned. I can't ever remember not being able to read, and have been an avid reader of almost anything and everything for my whole life.

My daughter is the same, only more so, she was read to when a child, and was rewarded with books rather than sweets. If we went anywhere she knew that if she asked for a book then she was likely to get it, anything else and the answer, likely as not, would be no. She is now a walking encyclopedia, lol.

You're never alone with a book.

[18131883]

It's a learned thing. Short and sweet.

[hopeful2]

My favorite things are reading and cross stitching. I joined my first book club when I was 16. Been reading ever since. Lol, I did read before too. I didn't learn cross stitching until I was about 50. I injoy both so much. I buy books on online auctions and I sell my cross stitch work from time to time on online auctions. Hoping ebid will be great! I don't think reading has anything to do with heredity.

[TheTreasureChest3]

I believe that reading is in the blood. It is a passion that is within you, something that one just cannot escape or acquire for the matter.

It's the thirst for escaping reality for a while and to enter into a world that allows you to live your dreams, it allows you to be someone else for a while and when you're ready you come back.

I've read since I was a little girl. Every minute that was available to me, I used to hide behind the shed in our garden and to sit on the bench in the sun to read.
Nobody ever suggested that I should read or read more, it was just in me.

Whenever a holiday came up my mother would ask me what I would like for said holiday and my answer was always the same "a book".

I've tried to get my sons to read and not one of the three ever had interest in reading. I would purchase wonderful books and as a favor to ME they would sit and read for a few moments and then put the book down and turn to some other activity.

I don't think that the passion for reading can be installed, you either have it or you don't.

[drcooper]

I believe that reading is in the blood. It is a passion that is within you, something that one just cannot escape or acquire for the matter.

My feelings as well, which is why I had a hard time answering the poll question. I believe those people who love to read are pre-disposed or hard-wired in the brain somehow. My brother and I are polar opposites when it comes to having one's nose in a book, so definately not hereditary.

I've tried to get my sons to read and not one of the three ever had interest in reading. I would purchase wonderful books and as a favor to ME they would sit and read for a few moments and then put the book down and turn to some other activity.

Similar results with my daughters, and not for lack of trying on my part. They were read to frequently when little. They see me reading daily. Our shelves are well stocked with books for every age. Yet still, it's like pulling teeth to get them to crack a book (sigh).