This should not happen but it does -- we're too busy for our kids! Many parents who are struggling to balance family and work are often too busy or too tired to read to their kids. That's one of the findings of a recent survey of 2,000 parents of children ages 2 to 5.

Here are some additional survey findings:

  • Ten percent of parents read to their children less than twice a month.
  • One in five dads cites work as the reason they don’t read to their kids.
  • 36 percent of parents are likely to rely on others to read to their child.
  • 80 percent of parents describe themselves as stressed, with 30 percent admitting they are more stressed now than a year ago.
  • 75 percent of parents say their stress has impacted their child.

Of those who do read to their children:

  • 51 percent cite cuddling and being close as the things they love most about story-time.
  • 43 percent say acting out characters is their favorite part of reading to their kids.
  • 62 percent of parents make up stories for their children.

How about you, do you take consistent time out to read to your youngens?

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