Email is a convenient replacement for snail mail while land line telephones have been shoved aside by text messaging and BlackBerry devices.
But for some mothers in the city, the rise of e-books has not killed the habit of reading books to their children.
These mothers are carrying on the tradition of familiarizing their children with printed books.
For Erna Yusnita, the mother of 4-year-old Faqih, nothing could replace the traditional way of teaching reading and writing, despite the plethora of teaching aids offered by the Internet and gadgets.
“My son is learning about letters and how to spell, and since I want to develop his interest in books I bought him puzzles and popped-up books to help him learn to read,” she said, adding that she also bought her son storybooks.
Fariq seemed to like the books although he could not read them himself, Erna said.
She said she hoped that with so many books around him, Faqih could develop an interest in books.
Mother of two Ilian Deta also swears by the same method.
She always returns home with picture books so her sons could enjoy them, even if they cannot read them yet.
“They love the pictures in the books and are very fond of me reading out to them,” she said.
A number of educational websites are claiming that to develop reading habits in children, parents should establish a routine of reading them stories.
They claim the method not only increases vocabulary, it makes children want to read by themselves. The habit also trains children to listen to their parents, they add.
Reading books is also essential because not only can it be fun, it also sharpens the child’s eye for spelling.
There are some who voice reservations about promoting early computer literacy, citing negative side effects and the massive amount of information on the internet that could overwhelm children.
Books also have a special place in the heart. It entails a certain romanticism that cannot be replaced by the glaring screen of an iPad or the monochrome Kindle.
Fransisca Yuliasari believes printed books would continue to have loyal readers.
“The advantages of printed books is that they are easily accessed by more people and it is easier on the eyes as well,” she said.
Data from www.internetworldstats.com showed that in 2010, 30 million of Indonesia’s 242 million people in 2010 had access to the Internet, or 12.5 percent of the population.
It may be easier for people in large cities to access information on the Internet, but people living in remote areas may not have such privileges, Francisca said.
“These people in remote areas certainly have access only to printed books,” she said.
But one certainty is that people will have problems collecting e-books, Francisca added.
“Other than the romantic feeling we get from books, printed books can become collector’s items.”
