Bedtime stories?

Is eleven years old to old for bedtime stories?

My mother was still telling me about the Baba Yaga, Koshchey the Deathless, and Vasilisa

I would say there should be a given reason, since an 11-year-old will be in that awkward stage where they want to be really grown up, but still enjoy some mothering, they just don't like to admit it. Since they can read on their own IMO usually they would want to read themselves.

However, after a reallys tressful day or if they're sick I think you'd have a good excuse. if it's a one-time or two-time thing you can just say he/she likes it when they have a really bad cold or something. If it's a consistent thing you could make up an illness they'll recover from but it'll take a long while, or just a really stressfu life event like a very sick friend or beloved grandparent or something that makes them wish to revert to letting someone read to them.

It may also be more plausible if it's a girl and there's general mood swings anyway.

Yeah, at 11 I was reading to myself in bed. I don't remember bedtime stories past 7 or 8 and even then I was reading on my own at least as well.

The one and only time I ever had a bedtime story was when I was 11 or 12. It was weird.

On the other hand, bedtime stories turned into bedtime novels in our house. My husband still reads aloud to the family several nights a week (whenever we are all home), and the kids are 13 and 15. Right now the book is the Count of Monte Christo, so its not your typical picture book. It is family entertainment in our own, aggressively low-tech way.

In our house, 11 isn't too old at all. In fact, I'm trying to figure out how to keep my husband reading aloud after the kids go off to college. I just love it.

Too old for picture books, but there can clearly be bed time rituals related to stories/reading.

*There are families where the child starts reading to mom/dad.

*A parent who is a "story-teller" could spin made up tales (Alice In Wonderland was created from stories Lewis Carol told to his daughters who were in that age bracket. Alice was created on a boat ride, but there is no reason why it couldnt have started in the bedroom instead.)

etc.

I would say it depends on the child and the parent. By that age, I was reading by myself in bed, but some parents and children may have this established as their 1-1 time. This would be especially important if the parent works long hours and doesn't get to see the child much except for the child's bedtime. By age 11, the parent and child might take turns reading to each other, maybe a chapter or two a night. Or they might be making up their own stories, taking turns adding details - this would help the child's story telling skills and build his/her imagination.

I know of a 15 year old who still gets read to before bed at night.

There's no such thing as too old for bedtime stories.

The last time I had a bedtime story read to me I was five. I don't miss them, although I like people reading aloud. Just not before bed.

Nah. Never too old. My dad still sometimes makes up bedtime stories for me when I'm home on vacation from college (although I have to admit I don't listen the way I did when I was little). Ten or eleven years old was still prime bedtime story age for me.

Ah, but the nature of the bedtime stories might start to change by the time you're 11. Winnie-the-Pooh just won't cut it anymore, but Edgar-the-Poe just might. At 11, you can start to expect the "real" version of the Grimm fairy tales, not just the abridged versions. And the very special 11 year old might get treated to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Who wouldn't want to go to right to sleep, pretending that you're Cthulhu in the sunken city of R'ylah? Why, I wouldn't be at all surprised of some of Stephen King's better novels started out as bedtime stories!

I thought I was too old but my mom would always manage to sway me. After sitting on the side of her bed for ten minutes trying to appear disinterested and cool, I'd eventually lie down on my dad's side of the bed and get cozy.