Pleasure First 

Reading is a very pleasurable activity. Modern life can make us feel like we don’t have time for it, but it’s actually an ideal way to combat that very feeling. Our minds are very attuned to stories, and that natural tendency is a portal to our own thoughts, a quieter mind, and a sharpening of our ability to focus. As media speeds up, and our attention dwindles, the notion that children should read but adults have no time for it, is becoming normalized. You don’t have to give in. Consider this a permission slip for you and your family to reclaim the pleasure of a good story and all the benefits that slowing down and truly engaging can bring back into your life. 

Make It Yours 

So how do you reclaim that option? Pleasure. That’s right. Pleasure. You make the experience, itself, a reward. Build your own reading/journaling nook. It can be a family space, an individual spot, or a camouflaged corner of a room that converts into your sanctuary when you need it to. Start with the basics: 

• A comfortable seat; stretched out, curled up, at a window, lounging or upright, make the place you’ll sit feel good to you, inviting you to sit down and pick up that book. 

• Good lighting; overhead is ideal when it’s artificial. Natural light streaming in from a window can set an ideal mood. You can always add artificial light to eliminate shadows on your page. There are full-spectrum light bulbs available that mimic natural light very well and help with low vision. These are also adjustable to warmer or cooler hues for custom eye comfort. 

• Temperature: keep it comfortable so you don’t have to think about it at all. If your feet get cold, keep slippers or thick socks nearby. If you like to feel the sun on your back, position your chair for that. Make your body happy so your mind can focus on the story. 

• Sensory inputs: colors, textures, scents, and objects should feel good, appeal to your eyes, and reflect your tastes. Keep it as minimal or maximal as you like. One person’s clutter is another person’s cozy. Don’t worry about Pinterest boards or interior design advice. Create it to appeal to you.  

Reading Nook

The Care & Feeding of a Habit 

Start at the bottom of the stairs. The first step should be to just find a consistent pattern that fits in with your regular routine. It’s a known strategy of behavioral change to attach a new habit to one that is already part of your routine.  

Avoid all or nothing thinking. If you set your first goals too large, you’ll end up focused on what you didn’t achieve instead of what you did. Make it doable within the energy and motivation you know you have available. Then give yourself full credit for doing it.  

Parents and other caregivers can set the example. If you like having your cup of coffee in the morning, add 5 minutes of reading nook time to that. If you need a wind down after work, add some slow page turning with your evening transition. Just do it where the kids can see you. Model what you want to see and talk about it in positive terms.  

Catch everyone doing it right. The biggest need we humans have is feeling connection and positive regard from other human beings. Use the reading time as an opportunity to complement one another on being consistent or picking back up again after missing a day or two. Ask about what everyone is reading. Listen to the answers and wonder out loud together. Find meaning in what people are reading and connect it to the realities and experiences you have personally or as a family.  

Pleasure, Pleasure, Pleasure 

One of the ways we ruin reading for younger people is by micro-managing it. We tell them they have to finish any book they start. We assign them books they didn’t choose. We count the pages they read. We test them on what they’ve read. Is it any wonder so many adults also see reading as a chore instead of a leisure activity.  

To restore the pleasure, choose reading materials by their appeal, the way we choose meals in a restaurant, or games we want to play. Use the American Library Association’s recommended lists. Find websites, like GoodReads, that give reviews by people who’ve read the books themselves. Go to comic book shops and book stores and physically browse the options. There is so much art and pleasure in books. Share that with one another this summer.