Childhood reading

"Dora" is the favourite character of an infant who is barely a year old. How does this happen? This happens because mummy has been turning the TV on while feeding the infant daily.

The mother of a two year old has been peacefully chatting over the phone for over an hour without any interruption while the child is awake. How is that even possible? Easy! The toddler is mesmerised by the video he is watching on the iPad.

A five year old is stuck in traffic while returning from school, but the girl is not being impatient at all. Her eyes are glued to the small screen of her mother's smart phone and she is quietly entertaining herself by using the app "Nail Art," which is basically teaching a five year old how to paint and embellish nails stylishly!

Such scenarios have become so common these days that we don't even pause to think twice about the impact screen times and certain apps can have on very young minds and how this can play a role in shaping up a personality. In our culture, we hardly have the routine of laying down time limitations for watching TV, using smart devices, or going to bed for that matter.

Unfortunately most children these days have become used to watching adult TV programs that run late into night and go to bed having seen images of overly dressed females or illicit love affairs – that's the bedtime routine for many kids!

If we look at the culture of developed countries, most parents are usually quite conscious about restricting screen time for young children. They have a culture of imposing very early bedtimes for children, and reading books before turning the lights off is one of the most common cultural norms. Their children, unlike many Bangladeshi ones, sleep with minds that are still thinking of butterflies flying over meadows.

It is in their culture to encourage parents to read books to their children. Their hospitals, midwives, and media encourage pregnant mothers to read softly to their womb. Baby books are presented at baby showers so that parents can start reading to children from the very beginning.

In the developed world, bookstores always have a dedicated kids section. This section is enriched with musical books, floating books, plastic books, water proof books, touch and feel books, and what not. They go to any extent to make sure that children should have a good time with books. They keep books for children as young as newborns – books with big brightly coloured pictures. And kids in those countries spend their childhood enjoying reading and imagining.

Maybe this is the reason why it is such a common sight in developed world to find people reading while commuting. They seem to carry a book wherever they go: subways, parks, Laundromats, and during flights. This habit of reading that is developed at a tender age lasts for a lifetime.

On the other hand, in Bangladesh, hardly any book store can be found that has a dedicated kids section. The very few stores that do stock kid's books have a pitifully poor collection. I have spoken to the owners and everyone's answer invariably is that there is hardly any demand for kid's books in Bangladesh. There is no point in blaming them; they are doing business. Why should they invest in items that have little demand in market?

We as parents are responsible for this situation. Responsibility lies with us parents for not considering buying books for 6-month olds; for hardly ever spending the time and energy reading silly picture books to an infant who has yet to learn to talk, and for letting the same infant watch television instead. How can we expect children without the education of books glean anything from the jingles of advertisements? No, they don't understand, they simply imbibe what they are being exposed to!

Parents first need to appreciate that raising a child requires a lot of effort. Yes, letting a child watch commercials during feeding-time makes life much easier, and sitting with an infant and reading a silly animal book over and over again in an animated voice requires patience and is downright tiring. But we need to decide for ourselves which of these two activities play a more beneficial role in shaping a child's mind and personality.

Many studies have been conducted to prove the connection between screen time at an early age and lack of attention span later. According to the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), zero screen time should be allowed for children younger than two years of age. Even after that age, very limited amount of screen time should be allowed and programs that are watched by children should be age appropriate and under adult supervision.

Different research shows that babies start hearing from inside the womb, and reading to the womb is a good way to let the baby familiarise themselves with their mother's voice and bonding begins from there. In a study from Brown University School of Medicine, 18-25 month old children, whose parents regularly read to them for a year, could understand and say more words than those whose parents hadn't.

Reading helps kids learn language, develop their imaginations, and increase focus later in life. Parents need to realise the importance of teaching these behavioural traits at an early stage. There is a world of difference between preventing kids from becoming smart phone addicts at age 1 and asking a 13 year old to keep the smart phone aside and talk to guests instead!

We need to work at changing our mindset. Things definitely won't change overnight. We need to start reading to our children; we need to ask relatives visiting from abroad to bring age appropriate books for our children. We need to read books ourselves while our kids are around because they always learn to do what they see their parents do.

It is sad that hardly any child younger than the age of five is seen at the book fair's kid's section. Let us start taking our 18 month old toddler to the book fair, let us have her choose books. She will most probably just grab the book closest to her or the one with the brightest cover – but let us still buy her that. Let us spend some time reading that very book to her; let us animatedly roar like the tiger in the book or dance like the cheeky monkey and entertain the infant.

Let us give our children a productive childhood and build a better generation.

Natasha Sabrin Khan is a mother and freelance writer with senior experience in marketing management.