--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our children shouldn't have to wait for…" description: "\"Our children shouldn't have to wait for adulthood to become wild readers. For many, it will be too late.\" — Donalyn Miller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/donalyn-miller-12990_adulthood_our-children-shouldn-t-have-to-wait-for_1974294.jpg" --- # Our children shouldn't have to wait for adulthood to… ![“Our children shouldn't have to wait for adulthood to become wild readers. For many, it will be too late.” quote by Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/donalyn-miller-12990_adulthood_our-children-shouldn-t-have-to-wait-for_1974294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/donalyn-miller-12990_adulthood_our-children-shouldn-t-have-to-wait-for_1974294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/donalyn-miller-12990_adulthood_our-children-shouldn-t-have-to-wait-for_1974294.jpg) > “Our children shouldn't have to wait for adulthood to become wild readers. For many, it will be too late.” [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children should develop a love for reading early; waiting for adulthood may miss the window. **In simple terms:** Kids need reading love early. Key Takeaway Encourage reading now. Themes education literacy early development Mood hopeful urgent Type educational advocacy When to use this quote - schools - parents - libraries - after‑school programs Key Concepts cognitive development motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster early reading? - What barriers exist for early literacy? A Different Perspective Not all children have access to books early. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Adulthood Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood-wild-3333712/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-shouldn-1872443/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Readers Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-late-1192049/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Wait Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-adulthood-3333713/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Wild Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-readers-1192047/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Without any reading time in class, too much homework, and little choice provided in reading material or writing topics, Sarah keeps her reading life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/without-any-reading-time-in-class-too-much-homework-and-little-choice/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I don't believe some teachers consider whether their classroom instruction fosters the development of reading habits in their students. 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Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) ## More by Donalyn Miller > [Readers enjoy talking about books almost as much as they like reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/readers-enjoy-talking-about-books-almost-as-much-as-they-like-reading/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“No matter what our curriculum requires us to teach or how little class time we have, children must read a lot in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/no-matter-what-our-curriculum-requires-us-to-teach-or-how-little/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Without any reading time in class, too much homework, and little choice provided in reading material or writing topics, Sarah keeps her reading life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/without-any-reading-time-in-class-too-much-homework-and-little-choice/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. 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We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/the-purpose-of-schools-should-not-be-to-prepare-students-for-more/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Reading has become schoolwork, not an activity in which students willingly engage outside of school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/reading-has-become-schoolwork-not-an-activity-in-which-students/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [By believing that only some of our students will ever develop a love of books and reading, we ignore those who do not fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/by-believing-that-only-some-of-our-students-will-ever-develop-a-love/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I don't believe some teachers consider whether their classroom instruction fosters the development of reading habits in their students. Reflecting on the landslide of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-don-t-believe-some-teachers-consider-whether-their-classroom/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I am a reader, a flashlight-under-the-covers, carries-a-book-everywhere-I-go​, don't-look-at-my-Amazon-bill. I choose purses based on whether I can cram a paperback into them, and my books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-am-a-reader-a-flashlight-under-the-covers-carries-a-book-everywhere/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“Books are love letters (or apologies) passed between us, adding a layer of conversation beyond our spoken words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/books-are-love-letters-or-apologies-passed-between-us-adding-a-layer/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [Students need to make their own choices about reading material and writing topics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/students-need-to-make-their-own-choices-about-reading-material-and/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [“I believe that this corporate machinery of scripted programs, comprehension worksheets (reproducibles, handouts, printables, whatever you want to call them), computer-based incentive packages, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/i-believe-that-this-corporate-machinery-of-scripted-programs/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [Failing to graduate a populace that values reading has long-term consequences for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/failing-to-graduate-a-populace-that-values-reading-has-long-term/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) [Explore all 52 Donalyn Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) ## More Adulthood quotes > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. 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Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. 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