RosesInHerHair
New Member
Anne Coulter *deep shudder* Talk about your bad influances... 
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Books you'd never let your kids read....
- Thread starter Rosie
- Start date
SFG75
Well-Known Member
RosesInHerHair said:Anne Coulter *deep shudder* Talk about your bad influances...
LOL-Now that is too funny!.
I don't know, I could handle my child having completely opposing political views than me. In high school, I bought all of Rush Limbaugh's books and the Ayn Rand phase was very tough for my parents to deal with. 
I wouldn't ban books of any kind, but I would really have a hard time if they brought home some freakish occultic/religious writings. I'm not certain that I would ban those, but I would probably be leaving a tag-team of books by Bertrand Russell and some others to hopefully dissuade them from such writings that I feel would be harmful.
krmchl
New Member
I just have a funny memory to share.
In 4th (5th?) grade I used to always read the Sweet Valley Twins books and my mom absolutly forbid me to read Sweet Valley High or Sweet Valley University. One time I read one anyway and there was a sceen where a boy touches Elizabeth's breasts. I couldn't believe it! I had to go tell all my friends.
In 4th (5th?) grade I used to always read the Sweet Valley Twins books and my mom absolutly forbid me to read Sweet Valley High or Sweet Valley University. One time I read one anyway and there was a sceen where a boy touches Elizabeth's breasts. I couldn't believe it! I had to go tell all my friends.
Scottishduffy
New Member
I was allowed to read anything I wished as a child. As a small child I never read anything considered bad. I mainly stuck to the American Girl books and the Ramona books by Judy Bloom.
As a teenager though, I got into some weird stuff. I read all of the RL Stine and Christopher Pike books. I had "The Encyclopeida of Serial Killers". Then one day I got online and started looking for a list of Controversial books or books that had been banned from schools. Started making my way down the list. Some of them were geat stories (Huck finn, I know why the caged bird sings). Some I read for Shock Value (Mein Kampf, Steal this book{tells you how to make bombs are start a revolution}, Communist Manifesto, A book of Wiccan spells and rituals) My mom was very bothered by all of this and did not like me reading some of these books, she thought I was becoming too dark and morbid. My father thought it was great and understood I was just reading it to say I have read a wide range of books. Besides he read many of those when he was younger for the same reasons. Besides, you should have seen the looks on the faces of my private school teachers when they saw me whip out some of those books.
As a teenager though, I got into some weird stuff. I read all of the RL Stine and Christopher Pike books. I had "The Encyclopeida of Serial Killers". Then one day I got online and started looking for a list of Controversial books or books that had been banned from schools. Started making my way down the list. Some of them were geat stories (Huck finn, I know why the caged bird sings). Some I read for Shock Value (Mein Kampf, Steal this book{tells you how to make bombs are start a revolution}, Communist Manifesto, A book of Wiccan spells and rituals) My mom was very bothered by all of this and did not like me reading some of these books, she thought I was becoming too dark and morbid. My father thought it was great and understood I was just reading it to say I have read a wide range of books. Besides he read many of those when he was younger for the same reasons. Besides, you should have seen the looks on the faces of my private school teachers when they saw me whip out some of those books.
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
I haven't had to ban anything, but I prefer to have a good idea what they are reading. Since I usally am the one taking them to the library or bookstore, the opportunity to nip a poor choice in the bud, is right there. But it just hasn't been a big problem. The closest thing to a problem I have had so far, was when my oldest dd was 10 or 11, and picked up a bunch of paperbacks from a new series, placed in the children's section. The covers were sweet and innocent, as were the titles. They looked a lot like Little House on the Prairie books for pre-teens or young adults. I told her I would read one before turning her loose, specially when I saw the publisher was Harlequin. Turns out they were anything but innocent, as one of the main characters was the town madam, and the hero was an adult man in his late 20's who seduces an 18 yr old girl. This was supposed to be ok, cause they waited til she graduated from high school and had her 18th birthday...aside from the moral implications of premarital sex, the girl was not an adult by the standards of the time in which the story was set. So, I told my dd she didn't need to read these just yet, and worried about how to approach the librarians. We'd just moved to this area, and the last thing I wanted to do was alienate my local librarians before we'd worn out the carpet in our new house. So, I pulled the librarian aside, and told her that I had a problem with these books, that I didn't think they were kids' books. When I told her about the one I read, she immediately agreed to put them in the adult section. That was all I asked. It wasn't my place to demand them pulled from the shelves. Turns out they were donated books for the "free library", meant to be taken home and brought back whenever. The librarian had not had a chance to glance through the books, but thought by the covers that they were children's books. So, by not going in with guns ablaze, the problem was erradicated, and I still have a great relationship with my local library..unfortunately, my carpet is shot...
I don't have kids (phew, if I did you could certainly call that a parenting failure), but here's a teenage perspective...
I can think of nothing more insulting than being told I am too young for a book. There has been no book I have read that I have not been ready for. I had read all the Sweet Valley Uni (what on earth was I thinking?!) books before I was ten and none of those had anything that was unsuitable for me, personally. The thing is, I realised they were rubbish quite quickly and moved on to Dickens. In my case, being let loose on teenage fiction early led to it being dropped like a hot potato in favour of adult books.
My mum never censored books but my school certainly did - I'll never forget my first "reading lesson" when I was four. I was told I had to read the books applicable to my age-group, meaning those with less than three words per page. My reading age then was 10 - I'd already started on novels. It took some serious battling by my mum to get them to let me read books with actual sentences. I'm sure that experience has scarred me more than anything I've ever read.
Basically, to me (I'm not trying to speak for everyone here) being told you are too young for a book translates to "you are too stupid/emotionally immature for this". I'm actually getting angry thinking about it. Kids are far better at rationalising big issues than the general wisdom holds them to be. I read the Satanic Bible when I was 13 and found it amusing, but was sensible enough not to go sacrificing chickens. I read Fay Weldon books much earlier and didn't turn into a teenage mother. There was never any conversation I was too young to have with my mum, thus I never saw sex or drugs as illicit and exciting, just interesting to talk about and maybe to read good books about.
Apologies for the rant. I now want to go to my old primary school and throw books at them
I can think of nothing more insulting than being told I am too young for a book. There has been no book I have read that I have not been ready for. I had read all the Sweet Valley Uni (what on earth was I thinking?!) books before I was ten and none of those had anything that was unsuitable for me, personally. The thing is, I realised they were rubbish quite quickly and moved on to Dickens. In my case, being let loose on teenage fiction early led to it being dropped like a hot potato in favour of adult books.
My mum never censored books but my school certainly did - I'll never forget my first "reading lesson" when I was four. I was told I had to read the books applicable to my age-group, meaning those with less than three words per page. My reading age then was 10 - I'd already started on novels. It took some serious battling by my mum to get them to let me read books with actual sentences. I'm sure that experience has scarred me more than anything I've ever read.
Basically, to me (I'm not trying to speak for everyone here) being told you are too young for a book translates to "you are too stupid/emotionally immature for this". I'm actually getting angry thinking about it. Kids are far better at rationalising big issues than the general wisdom holds them to be. I read the Satanic Bible when I was 13 and found it amusing, but was sensible enough not to go sacrificing chickens. I read Fay Weldon books much earlier and didn't turn into a teenage mother. There was never any conversation I was too young to have with my mum, thus I never saw sex or drugs as illicit and exciting, just interesting to talk about and maybe to read good books about.
Apologies for the rant. I now want to go to my old primary school and throw books at them
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
I can understand your anger at being censored, but at the same time, my 4 year old gets pretty ticked when I refuse to allow him to play in the street. It is a matter of perspective. If he were 11, I would hope he'd have better sense than to play in the road, but I'd watch him a few times to make sure. I think its part of the parent's job to guide our kids, and their reading is one such area. Having said that, I'm pretty lax by some of my church friends' view, in what I let them read. I believe in teaching them our values and allowing them to read(with my knowledge and discussion) topics that depict different views. I make it my business to be aware of what my kids are reading(as well as what they MIGHT read), so I can discuss the contents with some intellegence. Of course I can't preread everything, but I can do a quick looksee at amazon, to see what a book is about. If I think the child(and these ARE still children) in question is too young for a certain book, I will tell them of explicit content, and usually they put it down. So far, no one has wanted to read Mein Kampf or the Satanic Bible..but if one of my readers expressed an interest in the Koran, I would not have kittens in the closet..I'd read it along with them. In fact, one year, our curriculum included sections of the Koran..
SFG75
Well-Known Member
I agree with abecedrian that there does need to be some limits. What those limits are, I couldn't tell you. If I were to see my kids getting information from the Hare Krishnas, I'd pretty much flip out. I also believe that Jennifer has a point. If you compare every 11 year old, there will be those who are very mature and straight-forward in personality. There will also be others who are very immature and act even younger. Some kids that age can be given some independence and a little leeway when it comes to privileges and what not, others have to be micro-managed to a great extent. I believe that the limits should reflect a parent's sense of this.
WoundedThorns
New Member
my mother never censored any of my reading choices, but she certainly would've if she found out what type of books i've read over the years. its helps that she's polish and doesn't pay attention to some things. i dont know if she'd expect me to be brainwashed so easy to do something from these books, or if she just wouldn't want me to be exposed to some of these things. i remember she wouldn't let me watch titanic when it was on HBO for the first time. i was like.. 9/10. needless to say, i found a way to see it
WoodenCoyote
New Member
Books you wouldn't let your kids read? Hehe. When I was in 6th grade my mom bought me a stack of pretty graphic romance novels without realizing it. They had mermaids and other fantasy creatures on the covers, and she didn't think to skim the contents beyond the short, rather uninformative summeries on the backs. It was... a real eye opener, to say the least :lol:
HermioneWeasley
Member
right now, i myself am 13 and mmy parents dn't really care what i read cuz they know that 1)i have common sense and understand what's bad and b)i own't read anything terrible.
they let me read what i want, even banned books, because they think banning books is stupid. they jsut give me "recommendations", such as stuff i'm to young for.
they let me read what i want, even banned books, because they think banning books is stupid. they jsut give me "recommendations", such as stuff i'm to young for.
technokitty
New Member
well most def the Kama Sutra comes to mind, I somehow don't think a five year old should be reading that. sure it's much more than sex, but just those chapters well...u get the idea lol
so I guess no porn or erotic materials for anyone under 15, no need to turn on a 10 year old ... they can wait lol
other than that I think pretty much anything else is cool..oh yeah like someone else said no "how to kill and torture" or "how to get away with murder" type books either
so I guess no porn or erotic materials for anyone under 15, no need to turn on a 10 year old ... they can wait lol
other than that I think pretty much anything else is cool..oh yeah like someone else said no "how to kill and torture" or "how to get away with murder" type books either
I think it is very hard to talk in absolutes and I hate blanket generalizations about things. Books can be very mind-opening, or they can be an excuse or babysitter just as much as TV can. I remember my Mom's talk to me about sex when I was about 9 consisting of "Here is a book, and if you have any questions about it, I can arrange for you to talk to someone about it." TV can also be a very educational and liberating thing. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the Degrassi series, a teen show that has been around in Canada for ages. There was a plotline on the original series involving teen pregnancy and I know more than one Canadian my age who has sheepishly admitted that this plitline prompted the first conversation they ever had with their parents about sex. The character became pregnant after her first time, and one of the plot points was a bathroom session where a friend reasures her that you can't get pregnant your first time. I know at least two people who watched this show as kids and immediately went to their mothers to confirm this information when the character turned up pregnant. My own little sister had a transformative experience with the current iteration of the show when they tackled homosexuality. She has been having some issues with my older sister's sexual orientation and was very angry about it, You could not have a meaningful dialogue with her. What really changed her mind was the plotline on this show, because she had literally never thought of the issue from the point of view of someone her own age before. Yes, the show can be a bit heavy-handed with the morals sometimes (drurs are bad!) but that is with our adult filter. Kids can really connect with something like that. As for me, I watch little tv but tend to get really involved in the shows I do watch. Anyone who thinks tv cannot stimulate the imagination has probably never heard of fanfiction before (most of which is terrible, but all of which does demonstrate that people ARE capable of intercating with a television show on more than a passive level).
It is just impossible to generalize. Some "crap" is harmless. I know kids (and adults) who read a lot of trash and enjoy it, but that does not mean they are not capable of reading "better" books too. Mom mom buys trashy romance novels to take to Florida with her every winter because they are so thick she can buy one book and it will last her the whole week But she also reads good stuff. And tv can be watched passively, but it can be a bonding experience and learning tool too.
(most of which is terrible, but all of which does demonstrate that people ARE capable of intercating with a television show on more than a passive level).It is just impossible to generalize. Some "crap" is harmless. I know kids (and adults) who read a lot of trash and enjoy it, but that does not mean they are not capable of reading "better" books too. Mom mom buys trashy romance novels to take to Florida with her every winter because they are so thick she can buy one book and it will last her the whole week
But she also reads good stuff. And tv can be watched passively, but it can be a bonding experience and learning tool too.
SFG75
Well-Known Member
HermioneWeasley said:
Yes, some 13 year olds are mature and can be trusted, some need a babysitter. It's good that yours knows you pretty well to make that kind of decision and that you've consciously chosen to do what is write for intrinsic reasons-and not of pure coercion on their part.
StillILearn
New Member
Gosh, JoannaC, there has to be a story in here someplace!
I'm thirteen, and I've always read pretty much what I wanted. My parents have never seen the need to ban books from me, although they do like to know what I'm reading. When I was ten/eleven, I read some of the Gossip Girl books, which I had borrowed from a friend, but they didn't have any big effect on me. I got bored of them quickly, and at the same time I started reading Dickens and Tolkien. I do vary what I read alot, i read alot of Young Adult romance and novels, and at the same time I've recently read books by Jane Austen and John Steinbeck. I like to vary what I read, and I think my parents have really supported me in that, by giving me choices and books about different topics. I've read the Bible, and I'm an atheist, but I found it interesting, and I think it's good to read it because you find many references in literature to Bible stories. This way i'll know what an author is talking about! I don't think reading these books has harmed or affected me in any way, and if my parents did ban a book from me, I would try to read it any way.
ON HARRY POTTER: I honestly think it's ridiculous wanting to ban Harry Potter for any reason. Yes, they can be a bit dark, but I don't honestly think that the sixth book is any darker then the first, even if the latter could be considered a bit more innocent. I have two little brothers, one who is eleven and one whos is going to be nine. Me and the eleven year old started reading Harry Potter at the ages of eight and nine, respectively, and we havent stopped since. My youngest brother has read the five of the series, and is started the sixth yesterday. My brothers and I have huge debates over characters and what we think is going to happen in the next book, and I can honestly say that the series has not affected us in any negative way, and I don't think the deaths or 'darker sides' of the books have been bad or unhealthy for us.
ON HARRY POTTER: I honestly think it's ridiculous wanting to ban Harry Potter for any reason. Yes, they can be a bit dark, but I don't honestly think that the sixth book is any darker then the first, even if the latter could be considered a bit more innocent. I have two little brothers, one who is eleven and one whos is going to be nine. Me and the eleven year old started reading Harry Potter at the ages of eight and nine, respectively, and we havent stopped since. My youngest brother has read the five of the series, and is started the sixth yesterday. My brothers and I have huge debates over characters and what we think is going to happen in the next book, and I can honestly say that the series has not affected us in any negative way, and I don't think the deaths or 'darker sides' of the books have been bad or unhealthy for us.
ValkyrieRaven88
New Member
I'm not a huge fan of censorship, and neither were my parents. I was in fourth grade reading Jaws by Peter Benchley, which was very profane, and my mom knew because I asked her what one or two things meant, and she didn't take it away from me.
I think kids know what is appropriate and what is not if you tell them so, even if they're reading about it. While that doesn't mean buy them a sex manual, Harry Potter won't make them try to perform satanic rituals in their bedroom.
People are always saying violence on TV is making kids violent, but it's only because their parents aren't sitting next to them (like my parents did) and saying, "Now this is only pretend, it's made to entertain us, and you are not to act like this."
I think kids know what is appropriate and what is not if you tell them so, even if they're reading about it. While that doesn't mean buy them a sex manual, Harry Potter won't make them try to perform satanic rituals in their bedroom.
People are always saying violence on TV is making kids violent, but it's only because their parents aren't sitting next to them (like my parents did) and saying, "Now this is only pretend, it's made to entertain us, and you are not to act like this."