Reading with Kids: The Teen Years
Imagine. A mother who adores books, sitting precariously on a beanbag at the base of her teenage sons’ bunk beds and reading aloud; mainly to herself, but hopeful that the boys are listening to her, and not to music through earpods.
At first glance, this might appear a melancholic vision of a mother’s obsolescence, once she is no longer needed to read and act out picture books to pre-readers. In a previous Literary Mama post, Cassie Mannes Murray wrote of how important stories truly are to those mothers reading, as well as to their listening children. Over the years, picture book storytime has provided me with some of the best memories.
But this bunkbed moment in a smelly teenage bedroom might not seem so beautiful. I urge you to see more in this personal scene. This was a typical mother and (teen) sons’ moment of dichotomy. My 13- and 15-year-olds were eager to settle to bedtime in their own way, and though they had been encouraged to read before bed, we know full well that they would’ve far preferred watching something instead. Full disclosure: 50% of my teenage children do regularly enjoy their “forced” reading before bed. The other 50% is not so keen.
However, on this evening, when I heard questions about characters and then comments about what was happening, my smile was that of a valued, happy literary mama. The story I was reading was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This is a classic written in 1957 by S.E. Hinton, who wrote her coming-of-age tale whilst she was in high school. Her protagonist tells of rival gangs, a young boy’s teenage confusions and struggles, and his relationships. Having taught this novel to 8th graders, I knew my boys would love the dramatic depictions of teenage life as much as my students did. I loved re-reading the chapters for myself, too. I imagine many literary mamas will have seen the film adaptation, and may well be nodding along at how important this text is for teenagers to read and experience.
Last year, I went one step further and booked my sons and I to see The Outsiders on stage. The combination of reading, watching, discussing, and experiencing this book together has confirmed that I am able to continue building storytime memories that will ensure I never feel obsolete.
Read aloud to your teens, whether they appear to be listening or not. “Stay gold…”