"A mere 3% of fathers read to their children, compared with 89% of mothers." Somehow, even aunts and uncles read to kids twice as frequently [6%] as their own dads. At least that's the lead finding of a pointless online survey on parents' reading habits commissioned by CITV, the children's subsidiary of British broadcaster ITV.
But don't worry, CITV has a solution to this supposed crisis of reading: watch more television. And CITV humbly proposes their new show Bookaboo, about celebrities reading books to a dog or something.
I had been writing and sweating out a whole takedown on this irrelevant PR stunt for a lame-sounding show, but I just deleted it; waste of time. The only things that interest me are the unfailing, bass-ackwards belief of TV network executives that the solution to everything--including the decline in reading caused by TV--is more TV, and the Telegraph's hacktastic reprinting of a press release as news, screwed up, un-proofread sentences and all ["One of the celebrities featuring in Bookaboo is ex-England Goalkeeper David Seaman and of a dad of two."]
Three-quarters of parents too busy to read bedtime stories [telegraph.co.uk via dt reader sara]
Cuz they're watching your damn telly, you ingrates! Press Centre: Dads absent for bedtime stories [itv.com]
Only 3%! That's sad, I need to look at my own reading time with my little ones.
Wow. That's staggering. I'm expecting my first born and read a story to him almost every other night. Still have six weeks to go before he's here, but I've read he can already interpret my voice.
Think I'll be OK continuing to read to him. Just received a bunch of books from friends at a baby shower.