[blparent] Censoring reading?

Sun Aug 7 04:50:14 UTC 2011

I guess there's a big difference between eleven and fifteen.  My stepson 
gets exposed to all kinds of things at school and on TV that I'd rather he 
didn't, but some of it is because I'm not his natural parent and haven't 
been setting the rules all along.  So for him, right now, the "at least he's 
reading" line of logic does hold up.  I myself find Stephen King too 
disturbing to read or listen to on TV, and so I ask him to use headphones if 
I'm around, and also not to mention anything in the books to Sarah, who is 
three and a half.  We had an incident early on where he told her that an 
evil clown lived down inside the storm drains in the parking lot, and it 
frightened her more than he meant to.  But I think he learned from that how 
impressionable she is.

So, respectfully, I still believe that if a teenager is putting something 
into his mind, reading and thinking and talking about it, then it's better 
than the likely alternative, which is staring blankly at the TV or endlessly 
playing brain-numbing video games.  Of course, every parent or guardian has 
to make his or her own decision about the kids in question.

Jo Elizabeth

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, 
unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into 
advance."--Franklin D. Roosevelt

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Leanne Merren" <leemer02 at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2011 10:28 PM
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Censoring reading?

> I agree with Bridget.  I believe that children do not have the same 
> understanding of things that we have, and their curious minds don't need 
> to be exposed to any more than is appropriate for their age.  My son comes 
> to me to ask questions all the time, but I would never allow him to read 
> Stephen King at the age of 11, even though he reads at a 9th grade level. 
> He has read Harry Potter and other books that I consider to be for older 
> readers as well, but we have also read the books and can talk about those 
> things.  But I read Stephen King when I was young and it definitely took 
> me to a world I didn't belong in at such a young age.  My parents never 
> sensored what I read or watched on TV, and honestly I wish they had.  Some 
> of the things in his books were disturbing to me even as an adult.  I 
> always explain why certain books are not appropriate for my son and he 
> understands. This doesn't mean he won't sneak around and read them anyway 
> if he gets the opportunity, but I can still do all I can as his parent to 
> keep him on the right track.  What he chooses to do with that information 
> is up to him, but he'll do it knowing it's wrong, and chances are he'll 
> realize why I discouraged it in the first place.
> Leanne
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2011 4:43 PM
> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [blparent] Censoring reading?
>
> Hello,
>
> Wanted to chime in on this topic.  I don't believe in censorship, but I
> do believe there is age-appropriate material as well as
> age-inappropriate material.
>
> Movies based on books are often changed quite a bit for film for various
> reasons.  People watch a film based on a book and decide to read the
> book only to discover material that wasn't included in the film by any
> means.
>
> Growing up, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of my family's favorite
> films.  I've seen it a hundred times.  Then I read the book later,
> probably early 20's, only to discover the book contains adult subject
> matter including sex.  The book was never meant for children, and the
> film is based off of one chapter.
>
> I don't believe any Stephan King book is appropriate for anyone younger
> than a teen and even then I have my doubts.
>
> This is just a few things in the books that I'm aware of:
>
> In the Stand, a man forcibly sodomizes another man with a gun.
> In It, the group of kids have sex with one young girl- a gang rape of
> sorts, plus the demon is pretty disturbing stuff.
> In The Green Mile, a man rapes and murders two young sisters.
> In The Dead Zone, the main character has sex with a married ex in a barn
> while her baby sleeps on the porch.
> In the Shaw shank Redemption, a group of prisoners rape Andy, the main
> character.
>
> The list goes on.  Plus, many King novels contain dark and disturbing
> material.  And there's a reason King books are not sold in the youth
> section.
>
> If kids choose to go against what parents say, well, it's going to
> happen- this is just a part of life, but it doesn't mean parents cave
> and give in.  We still set certain standards.
>
> Trust me, I was a rebellious kid and very curious.  Perhaps my parents
> were too strict, and I've tried to hit a balance with my own parenting,
> but based on my own experience and retrospective distance from
> situations, I understand why my parents didn't want me doing some
> things.
>
> Personally, I think King is not appropriate material for anyone under 15
> or 16, and regardless of how much a child wants to read King, a parent
> should not be the one handing them the book.
>
> Reading and literacy are extremely important, and we encourage this at
> home, but to say, "As long as they're reading," seems like a flimsy
> reason to allow a child to read material written for adults.  Take kids
> to a local library, spend time in the youth section, attend readings for
> children, research age-appropriate books and give them as gifts or check
> it out at a library and present to your child.  As late as my teens, I
> did library activities with my parents and had an opportunity to explore
> all the different types of literature.  Give kids a reason to explore
> their literary options instead of being solely influenced by peers,
> pop-culture and the media.
>
> If your teenage daughter decides to get pregnant, do you go along with
> it?  Of course not.  Will it still happen?  Maybe, but at least you
> communicated your reasons for not wanting her to have a child so young.
>
>
> Maybe this is a bad analogy, but I just think we steel innocence from
> our kids way to early.  Beyond the sexual and dark content, King books
> contain subject matter meant for adults- dealing with adult problems.
> No matter how astute or bright a kid is, they just don't need to be
> confronted with this type of subject matter yet.
>
> You don't forbid it; you don't put your foot down and deny with no
> reasoning, but you make it clear why you feel something is wrong or
> inappropriate.  And present alternatives.  I believe this should be done
> whether the issue is literature, films, sex- whatever the topic,
> especially when they reach adolescence- the ten to teen age period.
>
> Plus, if a child is more astute and has a higher comprehension level,
> they're probably going to be more affected by such subject material.  My
> vote is that King books, and films, are not at all appropriate for
> children.
>
> Bridgit P
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 11:50:44 -0500
> From: "Pipi" <blahblahblah0822 at gmail.com>
> To: <blindparenting at googlegroups.com>, "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing
> List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>, <blv-moms at googlegroups.com>,
> <singleblindparents at googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [blparent] Sensoring reading?
> Message-ID: <5A5CD5D14A8F4A43965A8A0FA803A6C3 at BLAHBLAHBLAH>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hey y'all,
> After a conversation with a few people last night and this morning, I'm
> curious. A bit of background: My nephew and I were watching Stand By Me
> last night. He said that he wanted to read the book. Red flags went up
> in my mind. He is 12. I know that he'd be fine reading half of Different
> Seasons, by Stephen King, which is where the novella of stand by me is,
> but I can't remember about the other half of the book. I think he'd
> enjoy shawshank redemption as well. People I spoke to said they were
> reading IT and other Stephen King books at anywhere between 9 and 12.
> I remember still reading the baby sitter's club books at that age. A
> friend pointed out that if my nephew wants to read the books badly
> enough, he'd find a way. I understand this point, but then think that he
> really wouldn't have the access to them. His 2nd point was that as long
> as a kid is willing to discuss the books with someone and is openly
> talking, then it could be a great thing. What are your opinions? Would
> you or do you allow your kids to read books above their age rating? Is
> this anything like sensoring TV and video games, or are books different?
> Pipi
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 10:57:15 -0600
> From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Sensoring reading?
> Message-ID: <SNT116-DS23F8531896A2A467C189FFAC3F0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Good morning.  A lot depends on your nephew--does he openly talk about
> things, does he read well and understand what he reads, is he prone to
> nightmares or being easily influenced by dark thoughts.  I know nothing
> of
> him, but my stepson wants to read Stephen King, and his dad and mom and
> I
> think that as long as he's reading, it's better than nothing.  It keeps
> his
> mind going, but then, he knows it's just fiction.  Our hope is that
> eventually, he'll broaden his reading choices.  So maybe letting him
> read
> the books isn't so bad, because like you said, if you forbid it, then it
>
> adds an element of mystery that will make him want to get his hands on
> those
> books even more.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
>
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