Autumn Was "Grounded" from Reading As a Kid

[longskirts]

The latest post by Autumn made me really sad. She says that several times, her parents grounded her from reading when she was a kid because she liked to read so much. I can't imagine forbidding reading as a punishment.

[PBrooke]

I haven't read the post yet. However, though I can't remember a specific grounding from reading books, it was understood that if I was sent to my room as punishment, it wasn't supposed to be fun - and that meant no video games, no playing, and probably no reading, though again I can't remember specifically. However, since reading was pretty much my favorite thing to do, it wouldn't surprise me - and no one finds it weird when parents threaten to take away TV or video game privileges. Also, being sent to my room only lasted for a short amount of time, so it's not like we're talking about a week-long ban on books or something.

I would find it far more disturbing if someone used reading as a punishment, rather than viewed it as a fun activity.

[buddingmedievalist]

The latest post by Autumn made me really sad. She says that several times, her parents grounded her from reading when she was a kid because she liked to read so much. I can't imagine forbidding reading as a punishment.

Meh, as punishments go, not that bad, at least for me. I was a kid who would rather read than do ANYTHING, so that was an effective way to keep me from misbehaving. My mom would just take the book I was reading for fun and keep it for the afternoon, so I'd have to do something else. And I can only remember it happening a couple of times, like when I refused to practice piano. I had no problem doing my schoolwork or practicing piano or cleaning my room when my books were at stake... anything else didn't have much of an effect on me.

[NurseNell]

I'm glad I was never punished this way. I read all the time as a kid, still read 3 to 4 books/week. My parents read a lot, they'd have never punished us by taking away reading.

Nell

[PBrooke]

I'm glad I was never punished this way. I read all the time as a kid, still read 3 to 4 books/week. My parents read a lot, they'd have never punished us by taking away reading.

Nell

Now see, my mother read just as much as I did - hence, she understood that it was more effective a threat than taking away the TV.

[NurseNell]

Now see, my mother read just as much as I did - hence, she understood that it was more effective a threat than taking away the TV.

We didn't have TV. ;)

Nell

[ElphabaGalinda]

forbidding me from reading would have been a perfect way to punish me. I sure would have behaved to keep my books. I don't see it as any different than taking away television or video games. Far better than beating children that many fundies we talk about advocate. Haven't read the post...but i'm assuming she was being punshied for normal things? i see taking away books (temporarily, like for a few hours) as a punishment that can be effective, and i don't see anything wrong with it. Would've worked on me, but my parents never did it

[dormouse]

I've been punished only once for reading a book, it was Jean Auel's Valley of the Horses from the Earth's Children series. I stole it from my mom. I was 12, so there was waaayyy too much sexual content for me, if you've read these books you know what I'm talking about. But I was not grounded simply for reading, but for taking a book that had been forbidden to me and I was curious to see why. Reading was in fact encouraged, and not just kids' books, adult books as well, just not with that much sexual content.

[ElphabaGalinda]

I've been punished only once for reading a book, it was Jean Auel's Valley of the Horses from the Earth's Children series. I stole it from my mom. I was 12, so there was waaayyy too much sexual content, if you've read these books you know what I'm talking about. But I was not grounded simply for reading, but for taking a book that had been forbidden to me and I was curious to see why. Reading was in fact encouraged, and not just kids' books, adult books as well, just not with that much sexual content.

Was she grounded FOR reading? I must have been confused and read it wrong. It is sad to be grounded because you are reading. Being grounded for doing something else by taking away books makes sense to me, but not being punished for reading.

[PBrooke]

It's unclear whether she was grounded "for" reading. All she says (within the context of "what's your favorite childhood book?") is that she was always reading as a child, and in fact got grounded from reading, several times. That could mean anything from taking away a favorite pastime as punishment to getting grounded because she was reading instead of doing chores.

[Gizmola]

My parents ate separately from my brothers and me. During dinner my brother and I would read, though invariably we'd leave our books all over the table. My father was a bit of a neat freak and to punish us for leaving our books everywhere he'd ban us from reading while eating, which was torture to us. Finally, my mom stepped in with a compromise of a big basket in the middle of the table that we could leave our books in. Crisis averted.

I don't think Autumn was punished FOR reading. I think they punished her by not allowing her to read. Which is much kinder than hours in a prayer closet, some ATI camp or beating her with a plumbing line.

[CanadianHippie]

I remember when I was forbidden from bringing books to class that weren't part of the class. It was the closest I got to grounded for reading. The worst part of it was I read in class when I finished my work, and I was the one that got in trouble instead of the kids who would start getting loud and rowdy.

[liltwinstar]

I was grounded from reading a time or two - basically, that meant I couldn't read anything for fun. Of course I could still read the Bible and my school books. I think I got that punishment for "dawdling" - basically, for reading when I should have been doing my chores.

[Someonetocall]

I was practically patted down before leaving the house to make sure I didn't take any reading material with me. My parents wanted me to socialize.

I don't remember having them taken away at home though (just checked with Mum. I wasn't grounded from books at home)

[Kitty]

I remember when I was forbidden from bringing books to class that weren't part of the class. It was the closest I got to grounded for reading. The worst part of it was I read in class when I finished my work, and I was the one that got in trouble instead of the kids who would start getting loud and rowdy.

In fifth grade, I had a substitute teacher who sentenced me to silent lunch for reading ahead in the science textbook. My work was already done, but nooo, the bitch actually yelled at me for reading ahead.

And all the other kids who had finished their work were getting loud and rowdy. WTF.

[YPestis]

Given that so many kids today don't even LIKE to read, I find the reading deprivation punishment a shameful thing for parents to do. I really don't see it as similar to taking away tv and video games etc. It's like saying it's ok to deprive kids of healthy fruits and veggies as punishment since we take away dessert to punish children.

Reading is a healthy activity and should be encouraged, not used as punishment. Fully 25% of the high school aged kids are illiterate in this country. I guess I see using reading deprivation as punishment akin to depriving kids of vegetables amidst an obesity epidemic.

I loved to read as a kid. My parents encouraged it partially because English was not my first language and reading was an easy way for me to practice the language. My parents never considered depriving me of activities they thought educational, not even as punishment.

Sorry, this just hit a nerve for me. Reading was a gateway to American society. It was how I learned the English language and about American culture and norms. My parents did think I read too much, but my verbal skills really helped me later in life. Every standardized test I took I scored very well on the verbal section. I credited it with acquiring my college scholarship and later, getting into med school.

[O Latin]

I was practically patted down before leaving the house to make sure I didn't take any reading material with me. My parents wanted me to socialize.

I don't remember having them taken away at home though (just checked with Mum. I wasn't grounded from books at home)

Now THAT would have been torture for me. I spent every lunch period of eighth grade sitting at the end of the table reading, completely tuning out the junior high antics that were going on around me.

My whole family is such a bunch of book lovers that I don't think it would ever have occurred to my parents to forbid us from reading for any reason. In high school, I used to worry that I would get grounded from choir practice if I pissed my mom off too much. Fortunately she is big on honoring commitments and not just not showing up, so I don't think that would have ever occurred to her, either.

[NurseNell]

I remember when I was forbidden from bringing books to class that weren't part of the class. It was the closest I got to grounded for reading. The worst part of it was I read in class when I finished my work, and I was the one that got in trouble instead of the kids who would start getting loud and rowdy.

I remember the day my chemistry teacher, Mr. Wilson, threw my copy of The Little Prince (in French) across the room because I was reading it in chemistry class. I had French after chemistry and needed to get caught up on my assignment.

Nell

[kb2]

I got grounded from reading as a kid. It was so annoying when I wanted to know how a book ended! It was usually a short-lived thing, just a day or so. If I had disliked reading or had trouble with it, it probably wouldn't have been used as a punishment. (In fact, I was a sort-of late reader, but my prime book grounding years were from about fourth to seventh grade, when I was caught up.) And obviously, I was only banned from "fun books" and still had to read books for school.

As a teenager, I started running bathwater, and while I waited for it to warm up, started reading Dune. An hour later I still hadn't gotten in the bath, but the water had been running the whole time (that drain at the top of the tub saved the water from running over). My parents were pretty mad that I'd wasted all the water (I was clearly chilling in my bedroom), so I got grounded from Dune and actually had to give the book back to the library and check it back out a month later.

[gilora]

I would get "grounded" from reading when my parents discovered that I liked being "sent to my room" as it meant I could read in peace. I would sneak in between the twin beds in my room and read anyway, which worked for a while, but eventually I got caught. (Of course, the fact that I was reading my mom's copy of "Fear of Flying" probably didn't help matters ...)

[longskirts]

I really don't see it as similar to taking away tv and video games etc. It's like saying it's ok to deprive kids of healthy fruits and veggies as punishment since we take away dessert to punish children.

I agree completely. Especially in the case of a homeschooling family. They are taking on the responsibility of providing her with her entire education, so they should not be withholding the means to education. Yes, taking away reading may be a "good" punishment in that the kid is unhappy but it also means that the kid is not developing reading skills during that time. It's not like she could get the reading practice in during school time--they *were* the school.

Maybe grounding for a little while doesn't seem like a big deal, but apparently it happened often enough that she would mention it in a post on reading. When she thinks back on reading during her childhood, having books withheld is one of the main things she remembers. I just think that's really sad.

[emmiedahl]

I was grounded from reading all the time. I did not really like tv or video games; I read a book every day, at least. It was definitely a way of getting my attention, as in, "No reading anything except schoolbooks until you are caught up on math assignments" etc.

[Joykins]

I was grounded from reading for a day once, my grandmother did it to me for thwacking my brother over the head with a book. Unfortunately I thwacked him first thing in the morning, and we were at our grandparents' house (my parents were, I think, in Mexico), and it was the MOST BORING DAY of my entire life.

[bionicmlle]

I've been punished only once for reading a book, it was Jean Auel's Valley of the Horses from the Earth's Children series. I stole it from my mom. I was 12, so there was waaayyy too much sexual content for me, if you've read these books you know what I'm talking about.

Dormouse -- I got in trouble for Clan of the Cave Bear -- my mom demanded to know where I had gotten that book. From my older sister - duh. :)

[Rosa]

I stole my copy from my mom (Clan of the Cave Bear).

I got grounded all the time from reading, because it was my favorite thing. I don't see the problem. THe kids who get grounded from reading aren't the ones who need to be encouraged to read.

Other things we got grounded from were worse - my dad grounded us from using the bathroom one time, because we left wet towels on the floor. Luckily he worked 12 hours a day so we mostly ignored him. No peeing when dad was home though! I'm trying to remember what else. They took away TV all the time but it was so limited it didn't make that much difference.