Question: Do you censor your kids reading material? Was your reading material censored when younger?
Question: Do you censor your kids reading material? Was your reading material censored when younger?
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Sorta like if I read a book and I know it’s deff not age appropriate then she will not read it until she is older but I dont read every book she reads
When I was in early middle school I went to check out a book and the librarian said I needed a parents note to check it out, “huh??” I was stunned. I’d never been censored until then and couldn’t figure out why. But of course the next day I came back with the appropriate note….appropriately forged of course ??
What was the book?
@Alisha I’m trying to remember. Give me a few lol
@Alisha
@Paula, that looks so good!!!!
@Alisha it was!
I’m definitely adding it to my Amazon cart!
Of course appropriately forged, I would not expect any less. Lmao
Those were great times.
My parents did not. I probably had my first Playboy when I was 12 give or take a year.
My son was never much of a reader, he did enjoy Guinness Book of Records etc. I never felt the need to censor him. My mother wasn’t a reader either, she wouldn’t have thought to censor me either.
We were told not to read Goosebumps but I never would anyway lol
Mine wasn’t as a kid. I read mostly religious stuff by choice with some light occult stuff. Ed and Lorraine Warren’s stuff… Marrion Zimmer Bradley.. I didn’t get into Palahniuk until college… And heavier occult stuff came after I had the base knowledge and appropriate frustration that I had to be my own teacher..
I don’t have kids, but when I was younger my parents never censored my reading. I was reading Stephen King at 11.
As a young teenager my mum didn’t want me to read her Sydney Sheldon books. I read them anyway, when she was at work.
And then one night she busted me, and then chased me all around the farm.
Still worth it.
@Daphne nice ?
Nothing was censored from me as a kid.
I learned to read from a paleontology book.
I reject censoring objective reality.
Where does that take us?
Nope
Nor did I sensor mine.
Never got censored growing up. Very thankfull for that
I do remember one time when I was maybe 10 and I had a fever, I had very vivid nightmares. Someone took away the copy of The Exorcist that I was reading. But that might have been for the best, what with the feverish dreams. I got it again at the library the very next week.
Mildly and nope. Times have changed
I wasn’t censored not that I can think of, and I pretty much let my daughter read what she wants to a point I mean of course there’s boundaries . But I want her to broaden her horizons and be able to enjoy reading and learn new things . But that’s just me.
No and no
I totally forgot about getting censored. It’s funny because she let me read Stephen King but took Jaws away. Funny.
I never censored my kids reading material. They did not really read that much, only what was required in school. My parents never censored what I read growing up either. Sometimes I would read the books that my mom checked out for herself. LOL
My parents didn’t censor. They weren’t big readers either. But I did read Lady Chatterly’s Lover at the house where I babysat when I was about 12. It was certainly an education! I’m sure my mother would have freaked about that! ?
I don’t have to. The only chapter books I can get them to read are diary of a wimpy kid.
No and no
Mine was not.
I do censor it some, to a certain extent. For example on a book page people were talking about shocking things they read and one mentioned a rape in the book Julie and the Wolves. So when my julie age eleven saw this book and wanted to read it I told her not until she’s older.
15 year old I don’t censor. If he were reading a lot of just weird gore I may have him mix it up a little but he’s into science mostly.
No and no. My mother taught me at a young age, that if a book is too much, too scary, covers a topic I’m not comfortable with, I can always put it down. I teach my children the same. My 11 year old reads well above her age group too, so most books deemed appropriate for her age, bore her.
@Krista a sensible approach, an approach I would take if I were to be a parent
I was never censored but I make sure I approve of their reading material. We have never had a problem her.
No and yes.
My father censored what I read but I just read most of it anyway
Mine was. But no I do not with my kids. My grams used to hate that my mom was so strict with wht I read she used to sneak harlequin romances in my dresser when she would leave and she told me where to hide them in a hidden spot in the closet. Our house used to be hers and I had her old bedroom. Lol!
I did..mine was not censored.
Mine never was and I would never censor any potential spawn. I strongly disagree with it.
Never
My dad tried to keep me from reading Gerald’s Game by Stephen King one time when I was like 12 or something (makes sense looking back, I was the kid that got nightmares from Bunnicula). That only meant that that was the one book I had to read.
I remember getting my friend in trouble though by reading a kid friendly how do babies get made book with her.
My mom didn’t want me to watch movies pg 13 and over though, but I had an in with the apathetic teenager working at the Piggly Wiggly and watched them all. I remember wanting to read Henry Miller because I had seen it mentioned in Cape Fear with Robert de Niro and asking her if I could read it and her telling me I could read whatever I wanted.
The women on my dad’s side of the family had a smut ring where they traded romance novels back and forth but said I was too young to participate so when I went to stay with my grandparents I snuck a box of them in and did nothing else but read smut novels. ?
Rachel Cowart smut ring! I like it! ??
@Rachel Cape Fear -Robert di Niro scared living shite out of me the way no book ever could.
Never censored my kids. I was never censored. I did often read the books they read so we could talk about it
No I wouldn’t and my parents never censored my reading. They were very supportive and would buy me all the books I asked for ? the one thing they spoiled me with
I was a little….but we will not be censoring our kids at all. I’m opposed and will just discuss the content they choose as needed
Nope
Nope and nope
Cannot stop laughing! I read my sister’s copy(she was 6 yrs older) of “our bodies ourselves”in my closet with a flashlight?
I knew if I got caught she would get in trouble for leaving it out! My parents encouraged all else including Go Ask Alice at 10 yrs old.
Never had to censor my kid that I knew of… she read 50 Shades in High School with a CVS bag over it thinking I couldn’t see through it?
Nope! I remember checking out Stephen King’s Misery out of my high school library when I was about 13 and nobody said a word!
I wasn’t censored as a kid. I read my first Stephen King at 14 and before that I mostly read point horrors and fear street. I was a huge horror fan, still am. Love of books is something my mum and I share and I started borrowing her Martina Cole books around 14 and asking her for recommendations. My mum took the view that there were worse things happening in real life than in books and those can’t be avoided.
I don’t think I was ever censored on sense of content, but I was usually informed that a book might be a bit tricky in terms of themes and prose style
No and no
I don’t have kids, so I can’t answer that but I can say that when I was young my parents did not censor anything my brother or I read. We were both reading full adult books at 12 years old and it never mattered what we were reading to them as long as we read. As a bookseller and as someone that has been in the book business for quite a few years now I do know that a lot of parents now do censor the books with their kids or read them along with the kids so the books can be discussed
No and no
No my parents didn’t censor what I read. They knew I would read it anyway. My mother caught me reading Peyton Place & laughed & said when she read it she had to hid it from my grandmother.
I do not – if it is heavy material, then it’s known that there will be a conversation afterwards to discuss the themes of the book.
No & no. But, I do think it’s important to discuss things with them.
Yes and no
i dont remember to be censored by my parents. I dont have kids but nephews. I try my best to choose good books for them, when they dont ask me their favorites books. Im sure that my sis dont censure to her sons!!
No & No. my father wouldn’t let me scary movies but I could read the books. Read Jaws & The Exorcist when I was 10.
I wish ppl would take a closer look at their kid’s reading material. YA market is basically politically propoganda.
Examples?
Wish I could offer them, I just read the summaries when I drop by the library. Pick any leftist ideal and you’ll find a book about it preaching to kids.
Curious too?
interesting
??
I have no kids but my reading was censored when I was younger
I do not censor what my kids read. I make sure I know what they read and 90% of the time I have read it first, but I grew up in a household where I was reading Stephen King and Clive Barker when I was 11 and 12. I have an open honest relationship with my kids where if they ask my opinion if they should read something, I give it but let them make the ultimate choice. I figure they see and hear worse online and on video games.
@Becky same on king
No and No. Not censoring doesn’t mean I didn’t know what he was reading.
My parents never censored my reading material and I did not censor my children’s. As a lover of books censorship is anathema to me.
No. I snuck all of my mother’s “dirty books” out from under her bed and started reading them when I was maybe eight. I didn’t turn out too badly, and my son always read age-appropriate material until he was old enough – about 13 – to understand the more adult books.
My reading materials were never censored
A lady from my grocery store gave my mom 2 big bags full of “dirty” books for me. My mom knew about it but it didn’t bother her. I was about 13 or 14? So I guess it wasn’t too big of a deal for her. She probably saw it to be better for me to read vs doing things?? I have no clue! But I came out okay I think 🙂 I wouldn’t censor what my kids would read but.. again I don’t have kids so I can’t predicate that! To each their own, I suppose!
I have no kids, but my reading material was never censored. I would check out of the library whatever i wanted.
I was never censored but I feel like as my kids get older I will recommend books according to their maturity level.
Mine was not and for that I am grateful. My mom even wrote a letter to our elementary school librarian when I was in 4th grade giving me permission to read any book in the school library regardless of age group. There were several “7th grade” books I wanted to read, some I wanted to re-read.i grew up with bi weekly trips to the town library and we checked out whatever we wanted.
The ONLY book my mom didn’t want me reading so young was “Forever” (who else is old enough to remember that one?)… she insisted on reading it first and eventually said go ahead. Other than that one, we were free to read what we wanted at any age even if she had hesitations.
Yeah I read Forever, but it wasn’t approved by my Mom, some friends were passing it around in 7th grade and I read it. I’m fairly certain my Mom might have let me read it, but my grandmother who lived with us wouldn’t have I know. She had a kid very young and was super protective of me.
My mom let me read it, as she never told me I couldn’t read something. However, we did have to talk about it.
For the most part, my parents didn’t really censor me. But you had to be 13 at the library to access adult books. That’s when my mom said no romance novels. Which I immediately starting readying cause I wanted to see why I was banned from it. I would hide them under my bed, until she found them. I got into a lot of trouble lol.
As for ky kids, they’re not readers like me. Which makes me sad. So for now I haven’t censored anything cause I just want them to read
For the most part my reading material was censored in the such that it was sexual in nature. My mom knew the types of books I was reading when I was younger such as The Cat Who Series and fantasy novels like Dragonlance which she read prior. In my teens I was also really into the classics and she encouraged me and my brother to indulge in whatever made us happy reading
Im just 20 years old,so i think ill censor it in future when i have kids but my reading materials were not censored because no one cared about what i was reading anyway ?
My son is nearly nine so I keep somewhat of an eye on what he reads, but equally he’s old enough to read a lot of things and process them. He’s read fact books about how his body will change, he’s read books where the main theme is death, he’s read books with low level swearing in them. Reading is about broadening your take on the world, and so as a chils it is massively important to read a variety. He’s currently reading a lot of Enid Blyton.
No and no.
i don’t think I was censored in my reading. But that was a different time back then
No to both
I didn’t censor my kids… but I probably wouldn’t have let them read porn. They are between 52 and 33 now so they can read whatever theyw ant 🙂
My parents never censored my books. So I didn’t face any problems regarding this. I have always read what I have wanted to and that’s freedom.❤️
No, i was never censored in what I read. Not that I can remember
With all the stuff that’s available via the Internet the idea of censoring a child’s reading matter seems somewhat quaint to me lol
So very true
I wasn’t censored while younger, which lead to so many problems later in my life. Realizing that I’m censoring what my kids read.
No to both questions.
My mom never censored my reading.
Please any repercussions?
My reading material was not censored when I was younger. I try to censor my daughters stuff, but she is almost 15 and has been. An avid reader her entire life, she knows when to put a book down, and she’ll let me know if it’s too much of whatever. I think I was more concerned when she was younger, not so much now.
I was OK with Heidi and Katy but when I outgrew them it was the classics or nothing. I read Anna Karenina when I was about 13.
No I dont but my kids also know they can ask me anything about what they read.
No to both
School did, they gave us a censored version of Macbeth, which we figured out on a school trip to see it in Stratford x
@Jay yes me too. The Porter’s Scene was generally censored in school editions. Dunno about nowadays.
I was never censored as a child some 50 plus years ago, in fact I remember my mother being elated that I was reading “Catcher In The Rye” as a teen. I also did not censor my children’s reading.
I think Catcher in the Rye is appropriate for a teen. I read it in Grade 11 or 12 but I have read it twice again. It seems to change each time I read it, and I will read it again I am sure.
So true! I have read it multiple times as well and took something new from it each time!
Of course I do.
I never censored my kids reading material and my mom never censored mine. I remember reading the Thorn Birds, War Brides, Letters to a child never born when I was 11.
I’ve been a heavy reader since I was eight. In my teens I read every romance novel I could get my hands on. I had a closet full of them. The heavier the sex scenes, the better they were in my opinion. At 17 I went on my first real date and lost all interest in romance novels. Now I can’t stand them for the most part. I don’t see how it hurt me or destroyed my mind. Listening to the Reading Lives podcast it seems like a lot of people my age started out reading Flowers in the Attic and Steven King novels at 10 or 11. I have an 11 year old right now, and she hasn’t tested me very much, I admit, but she can read whatever she likes. It’s a book, right. It’s got to be better than all the video games they want to play.
Ditto on the book vs. video games! And I did censor my boys video games. Some were sooo violent that they weren’t allowed to play those. They were only allowed 45 minutes a day for video games. Mean Mom…?
Internet is a whole new can of worms. Parental controls all the way and restricted time. Currently no internet, I find my little one has a completely personality overhaul when she has access.
@Tricia You’re right. Internet is a whole new ballgame. If my kids were young, I would definitely use parental controls. The internet can be dangerous. I know that my kids do use parental controls for my grandkids along with limits on time. (Hmm, wonder where they got that idea?)?
Cannot see you being mean anything Michele.
@Thérèse Thanks, but my kids would probably tell you otherwise. They were pretty ticked about the video games?
No, but I read Mitchener and Zindle
I don’t have kids… yet. But when I was kid my mom did not censored me any reading, actually I am the one censoring her. (Joke)
When they were younger, not at all. They’ve made wise choices in reading. I cringed when my daughter started reading 50 Shades (she was about 15 at the time) but what could I do….LOL!
not that i can recall, i would spend hours in the garage going through the books shelves
No, no, if the are capable of reading it they are old enough to read it.
Yes. I read the book myself first before I let my grandkids read something. They’re 12 &14. I know there are things they have already heard many times, or even spoken themselves, but it probably isn’t “tactful” for their Grandmother to let them “read” it. ?
No, I was never censored and my daughter’s always read appropriate books until they were adults. Unfortunately they aren’t a lover of books or reading as I am ? but that’s ok, they love music and movies and TV shows ??♀️
Absolutly – That’s why kids have parents
If you mean did I let them read sexually explicit material.. nope.. anything else was allowed..
Yes and yes
I read constantly and got great grades. My parents never questioned it. I encouraged my son todo the same. He read some but not with the same passion
I don’t. I give them free reign in the library. I do look at the books but I think it’s important for them to gain their own opinions of the world with and without my influence.
No, never. If I wasn’t sure about what I was about to read I would ask my mom. Then we would discuss the book and whether I was mature enough or emotionally ready to experience that particular read. Worked for me.
No mine wasn’t censored. I think it depends on the kid and censorship applies to an extent.
No. Critical thinking is an aspect that I definitely want them to acquire. They tend to read age-appropriate fare anyway.
Never. I read everything I could get my hands on, including Mom’s “True Story” and “True Romance” magazines and Dad’s “Popular Mechanics” and “Popular Science”. I sometimes questioned my son’s choice of teenage reading material ?, but I never censored.
I was never censored as a child. Of course my mom would always ask me with concern “Are you sure you want to read this? It may be very upsetting to read or confusing to understand. Can you handle it?” Personally, I liked being able to make my own choices. Being able to say “You’re right, mama. I should wait.” or “Maybe we could read it together? This way you can help me understand or learn what things upset me.” This also helped me not be as deviant or defiant against my parents as a kid, because I felt validated and like I had control over my life. I believe books are knowledge and you can learn greatly from stories, a character’s experience, etc. I think when I have a kid I am going to do the same for them as well.
No
I don’t have kids but the only books I remember wanting to read that my mom was iffy on was the flowers in the attic series. I read the first book and wasn’t interested in the rest anyway and moved on to Jane Eyre. After middle school, she wasn’t worried anymore and figured I could judge for myself.
I have always been free to read what I like so I will prolly do the same with. My son if he ends up liking books
I was never censored as a kid
I believe what we were asked to read as children…like Nancy Drew, did not need censors. Now the kids’ reading lists include suicide, and other extremely sensitive issues. I censor the lists from the school that are optional and read those books that are requited. Your gramma died and you need to read the Bridge to Terabithia? You start college and first year read is Bell Jar…a menu on how to kill yourself. I always read what my kids read. Not all lessons have to come from those very dark topics…teach that reading can be about positive interactions and beliefs.
No, I read everything from Goosebumps to Native-American Historical Fiction (Don Coldsmith) to U, K LeGuin to Dragonlance to History/Biographies in my teens and twenties to Plato/Socrates to Japanese philosophy and poetry into my thirties. I love to read anything that catches my interest. Read the Hardy Boys, too. Oh, and WWE Wrestlers Biographies.
Anything for a paper fix then.
No
I don’t have kids. My mum never had a reason to censor what I read ?
No, but I would make sure my kids read age-appropriate material. I wouldn’t want them reading explicit material at an early. Heck, I only read 50 shades when I was 25/26. That’s not something I would be comfortable with a teenager reading.
That to me, is censoring?? That is what I do.. age appropriate..
No and no it was not.
didn’t read much at all when I was young…my parents were too frugal.