summer reading

thank you teachers, for ruining my last few weeks of summer

Here's the Problem

As the end of summer closes in, crumpled-up summer reading lists are being found and resurrected by parents everywhere. Most kids have spent the summer avoiding parental queries about the reading by saying, “I'll do it. I have the whole summer, just leave me alone!” Well, the whole summer is now down to three weeks and the books were long ago purchased, Kindled, or Nooked. “If I buy you a Kindle/Nook, will you do the reading?” Your teen, panting like a dog that sees a new treat coming its way, has promised that yes, yes, yes, he'll do the reading if you buy him off—I mean buy him a Kindle/Nook.

Why It's a Problem

If your teen isn't a “reading for fun” kind of person, then summer reading is just school without the classroom. It doesn't matter what form the book is in; it's still reading, and it's definitely less exciting than, say, sitting on the couch texting, Facebooking, videogaming, watching a movie, or studying one's own navel.

Summer mode means deadlines and homework are out of sight, out of mind. It's not the reading itself that your teens don't want to do. It's more that doing the summer reading reminds them that going back to school is just around the corner. And that's a corner they absolutely do not want to go around!

Here's the Solution

Here are a few strategies to get the reading done before school starts and before you have to resort to the threats of no phone, no computer, no life until they finish their reading. Sit with your teen and add up the pages that need to be read by the start of school. Get out the old calculator and divide that number by the number of days left before school. Now you have a PPD, or pages per day your teen needs to read.

When you break it down this way, it's far less intimidating. Many teens have three or four books to read, and all they see are hours and hours of reading ahead of them. Pretending it doesn't exist is much easier. Having to read 20 pages a day may not seem as bad.

Set aside a reading time. Not on your schedule, but a time of day that feels right to your teen. Get your book, take your teen to Starbucks, buy her an iced cappuccino, and read together for 30 minutes or an hour. Pair the reading with something pleasurable.

Another suggestion is to get the books on CD. Some kids may be more motivated if they're hearing them rather than reading them. Put them on in the car when you're driving together or on the family's summer road trip. Make it a family affair! Or give them one of those “old-fashioned CD players” and let them listen with earphones; bring it to the beach and they can tan and “read” at the same time.

If your teen continues to be resistant to follow-through, pair reading with favors. For example, if the PPD hasn't been completed and your teen asks for a ride, money, clean laundry, etc., you can say, “I would love to help you out, but I noticed you haven't done your PPD today, and I don't really feel like complying with your request until you do. I get that this reading stuff is hard for you, but it's just something you have to do.”

Get creative. Nagging teens to read will not get the job done. You have to “understand” their resistance, not just criticize it. Help them to develop a plan that makes the impossible seem possible.