On parenting and censorship

rj_anderson  had an interesting post this weekend about her feelings on censorship, speaking as both a writer of fantasy and an evangelical Christian. I had a few additional thoughts about this that I wanted to throw out. Like Rebecca, I want to give my love of books as well as my faith to my children. And so I have these ponderings.

Obviously, not all books are appropriate for all school settings. Librarians have the responsibility to stock the shelves with books that are interesting and age/interest-appropriate for their school. So a book on theoretical physics might not be the best way to spend the budget for a kindergarten classroom. Likewise, board books don't really belong in a high school library.

However, I think parents who attempt to have a book removed from the community entirely are practicing sloppy parenting. It's getting someone else to lay down the rules. It's abdicating your authority and judgment. It's also forfeiting your chance to talk with your children about the things you value, about what kinds of activities may be appropriate at some times and not others, and which ones might not be good to do at all. Even if you get every single objectionable thing removed from the vicinity of your children, you can't control the world. Someday, even in Eden, they will be on their own. And if they don't know how to meet challenges, they won't be able to deal with them.  Besides, people are different. One book might be a lifeline to preventing suicide. Another person might read the same book and feel assaulted by the very idea.

On the other hand, I'm not in favor of the school of thought that says, "I don't want to foist my opinion on my children, so I won't tell them anything. Someday they'll form their own opinions without me." That just doesn't make sense to me. If your child was about to fall down a hole, would you warn them before they fell, or just wait for them to break their neck and form their own opinion? If your child was eating tasteless gristle and you knew there was cornish game hen and Black Forest cake in the next room, wouldn't you tell them? Leading your children towards success and happiness should be the goal of parenting.

So, continuing the thought of Eden, and adding Rebecca's comment about the importance God puts on free choice, I had these thoughts about reading and parenting:

1. The Garden of Eden is commonly seen as the one perfect, innocent state, where Adam and Eve lived "before everything was messed up." Who planted it? Who planted all of the trees in that garden? 

--Perhaps, just perhaps, free choice means having options.

2. What's the first thing God said about it? Don't eat that fruit--it's poisonous. (Well, maybe not in those exact words...)

--Offering free choice doesn't exclude helpful guidance.

A wise person once said, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves." I think that's what we have to do. I don't ever recall any books being banned at my house. Sure, I knew what kind of books my parents wouldn't have liked me to read. But it wasn't because they made up a list. Not only that, but it's much more interesting to think about reading in positive terms, rather than in don'ts.

So. Those are my thoughts.