I’m a firm believer in the power of words . The gift of gab can carry a person far in life and the best way to harness and sculpt those language skills is to learn them young. And there’s no better teacher than a good book.
But in this digital age of tablets and cell phones, it can be difficult for a child to see the appeal. This conundrum inspired one father to come up with a creative motivational tactic to get his son to read and it has the internet divided.
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As we all know, reading is incredibly important.
Early exposure to reading is extremely beneficial to young children.
Infants can begin to recognize images on a page and associate them with the sound of their parent’s voice starting at five months old .
Reading aloud has been proven to help establish a love of language long before the child can ever recognize words that are on the page.
It’s also incredibly useful in developing proper listening skills, as well as provides ample stimulation for young and developing minds.
That’s all good and well, but what do you do if your child refuses to read? One father believes he has the answer.
David has awoken a reading monster laying dormant inside his son! Reading 120 books in only six months isn’t just an accomplishment — it’s insane.
They say that money is the best motivator and in the case of David’s son, I’m inclined to agree.
But then there are those who aren’t so sure.
Some Twitter users have even begun to question David’s tactics and are accusing him of doing more harm than good to his son in the long run.
Almost immediately, parents and non-parents began making their thoughts on the matter known.
Some were quick to point out that David should be reading to his son, while others accused him of setting the boy up for failure.
The conversation definitely got heated, with people on both sides of the aisle giving their opinion.
One Twitter user even argued that paying a child to read was a dangerous motivator and could spoil them later in life.
Which is an interesting take, but also, there is room for argument there too.
For example, would 90% of the working world show up to the office on Monday morning if they weren’t being paid to be there?
But then again, reading is not meant to be work, it’s meant to be fun. It’s easy to see both sides of the argument.
The divided response was overwhelming, so in the end David decided to end things on a high note.
At the end of the day, every parenting style is different and what works for one child may not work for the other.
Money can be a great way to motivate young minds and we shouldn’t balk at the idea.
A love of reading can be infectious but by no means is it intrinsic; sometimes kids need a push.
And if shelling out a dollar for every novel read is what it takes — I say that’s money well spent.
Now, we want to hear from you.
What do you think about this father’s tactic for getting his son to read? Do you agree or disagree?
Either way, let us know down below in the comment section! We would love to hear from you.
