Teens reading adult books...

[desertgrandma]

Okay, from an "older" perspective.......

From the time I started reading, I read anything and everything I could....now, my mom tried to stop me from reading certain things, even told me in no uncertain terms "NO!"......but guess what.

I read them anyway.

Kids who love reading will read whatever they want....perhaps not at home, but at school, from friends, at friends houses, even at the (gasp!) library.

With the crap on TV......they could be doing worse.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I read them anyway.

Kids who love reading will read whatever they want....perhaps not at home, but at school, from friends, at friends houses, even at the (gasp!) library.

With the crap on TV......they could be doing worse.

Yes, thank you, this exactly mirrors my sentiment. I'm definitely leaning toward the assumption that I'd be driving it underground, which is the wrong approach.

[mrscoach]

Being a mother of two, 19 and 17, I was in this situation for several years. I didn't care what my children read, as long as it wasn't explicit sex scenes. I mean, I would have been a little upset if I found either reading "The Taming of Beauty" or whatever that book is called. Overall, though, I was more worried about what they watched than what they read.

Several years ago I turned my son onto the Sherrilyn Kenyon books about the Dark Hunters. Admittedly they are classified as romances, but he calls them action books with a little romance and sex thrown in. Now I have to share my copies with him (he's the 19 yo).

My daughter I would probably cheer if she read porn, simply because she doesn't like to read, so at least she would be reading SOMETHING. LOL I even bought her the Twilight series because she was interested. It worked, too. She would stay up until 2am or later reading every night.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay, from an "older" perspective.......

From the time I started reading, I read anything and everything I could....now, my mom tried to stop me from reading certain things, even told me in no uncertain terms "NO!"......but guess what.

I read them anyway.

Kids who love reading will read whatever they want....perhaps not at home, but at school, from friends, at friends houses, even at the (gasp!) library.

With the crap on TV......they could be doing worse.

I agree. There is so much more to influence the youth of today that it is probably nigh on impossible to shield them from anything, no matter how hard one tries.

All you can hope for is that they are comfortable enough to ask questions regarding a book's contents -- and that you are equally comfortable in responding.

Originally Posted by twowheels

Yes, thank you, this exactly mirrors my sentiment. I'm definitely leaning toward the assumption that I'd be driving it underground, which is the wrong approach.

No, just under the bedclothes at midnight with a torch.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

No, just under the bedclothes at midnight with a torch.

Being from the US that phrase sounds dangerous. :-)

I did a lot of reading that way as a child, though mostly to overcome imposed bedtimes.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by twowheels

Being from the US that phrase sounds dangerous. :-)

I did a lot of reading that way as a child, though mostly to overcome imposed bedtimes.

Same here (although being from the UK, the torch I used was unlikely to burn anything down )

[happy_terd]

I never really read much as a child and I turned into a horrible person by most people's standards.

[Falbe Publishing]

Reading is the safest most thoughtful way to experience anything, especially tough or troubling adult issues. Let her read whatever she wants.

[HistoryWes]

Originally Posted by Falbe Publishing

Reading is the safest most thoughtful way to experience anything, especially tough or troubling adult issues. Let her read whatever she wants.

Absolutely. Reading is a fundamentally different way of experiencing things than passively viewing them in movies or TV. Reading is thinking. I feel a great deal easier about a young person reading an adult story than I would having them watch the movie.

I vividly remember a parent asking me if a particular book was alright for her son, and thinking that it didn't really matter because there was no way that kid could have read anything more advanced than Go Dog Go.