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Parents out there.. Would you let your children read vampire/werewolf books?
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Danielle
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Feb 11, 2010 09:58AM
Hey there parents!! I'm not a parent myself but I feel that if you encourage your children to read you should allow them to read what they like. I think that there should be chaperoning when it comes to what the books are but otherwise.. what do you think???
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I have been reading horror since my early teens (too many years ago now) and I used to watch all the old horror films on tv too. I still like to watch some horror. I went to see the new movie Wolfman which was excellent only yesterday and pencilled in to watch Crazies when its out.So yes I would let my kids read them.
My mum is fine with what I read or watch as long as I don't force her to watch it. If I was a parent though, I would let my children read them, though movie wise I would only let them watch classics up to 1989, after that I would be picky.
Yes I would but I'd read them first to make sure they're suitable. I've read a few YA novels that were recommended for 12 and up that I would not want my preteen/young teen reading. Once my kids are around 15 or 16 I'll probably lighten up a bit. My oldest is almost 10 and has no interest in vampires or werewolves. My daughters are 4 and 2 so I have a few years before they'll want to read books that I'll have to preview for them :) I am pretty lenient when it comes to things but kids are so impressionable and grow up way too fast. I want to keep them innocent for as long as possible.
It depends on the age and the book. My oldest is 10 and in 4th grade, so the ones I read are not appropriate for her. ;)
It all depends on the book and the child, when I was young I was left to my own devices a lot so read what is probably deamed as inappropriate but on the same token it hasn't done me any harm.My son is only 1 at the minute but the books he has are all childrens books, when he is older I will only be moving the more adult novels out of his reach but anything else he can read (as long as I have read it first).
I know what my kids are reading because I read what they read. Period. I want to know what they are reading in school AND for enjoyment. It also means we can openly discuss the books. With a teenager talking is talking, see...
Christie wrote: "Yes I would but I'd read them first to make sure they're suitable. I've read a few YA novels that were recommended for 12 and up that I would not want my preteen/young teen reading. Once my kids ar..."I totally agree! I believe that as long as the book is appropriate then my kids can read whatever they like. That, after all, is how you make them happy readers. Let them read what they love :)
My mom doesn't really put a limit on what kind of books I read. I read pretty much all the same books as her and have done so since I was about 12. And let me say, they're not always the most appropriate for my age group. I love to read though and I love to read a variety of things, so I don't really think it's a big deal what type of books young teens and teens in general read.
There's nothing inherently evil about vampires or werewolves. It all depends on the way the story is written, and what kind of morality the author decides to espouse. For a lot of these stories, you can replace the supernatural creatures with humans, and the story wouldn't necessarily change, from an age appropriateness standpoint. Granted, maybe humans don't last as long in bed. As Cat would say, "Once you go dead, there's no one better in bed." But then again if there's sex in the story lines, then maybe it's not so great for your kids to begin with.On the other hand, I'm a huge fan of the Vampire Academy series. But i may not let my daughter read it. I haven't decided yet. Luckily, she's still in diapers. So I've got a few years to figure out my position :)
It depends on the age and the child. I would have no problem with the creatures, but moreso the actual story if the content is too old for the age of the child.You could have one book with paranormal creatures that is completely innocent and another that might be very out there in terms of violence/sexuality, etc.
If a parent is unsure about the book, they should at least give it a quick read or skim before giving it to their kids.
It would really depend on the child and the age. I pretty much had free reign over what I read when I was younger, but I sticked to Christoper Pike and Fear Street. I also read all of the VC Andrews books, which really aren't teen friendly, but my mom also read VC Andrews. I asked my mother a few weeks ago "If I was the age of your students (10-12), what books wouldn't you let me read?" The only ones she could come up with were Twilight (wait until I 16-17) and the adult PNR I read today (too mature with the sex scenes).
I haven't read too much YA PNR but I have quite a few to start. I actually love YA books, even though i'm 26. I wish they had written books like these when I was a teen.
I don't think the age of a child matters more than the maturity of the child. When I was a teen I was reading Anne Rice and VC Andrews, Stephen King, John Saul, etc. Probably not appropriate for most teens, but I think I had a pretty good head on my shoulders. I knew fact from fiction and if a book had sex in it, I didn't feel the need to run out and lay the first boy who paid me attention. I went to a yard sale when I was 15 and bought the Sleeping Beauty books by Anne Rice. *BLUSH* that was a shock and I hid those away from my mom and I would NEVER let my daughter read them hahaha.
my mother never censored our reading - if we were old enough to read it and it was in the public library - it was legal - we were considered old enough to read it when we were interested in it. I'll always felt sorry for the kids who said things like "oh my parents wouldn't let me read that"I think that was one of the good things my mother did for us.
My brother is a successful accountant. He co-owns is his own company. My sister is pursuing her master's degree. I retired from the Air Force after 22 years.
I'd say lack of censorship didn't hurt us kids any.
We've all been divorced and I'm a sober member of alcoholics anonymous. But I don't think our personal issues have anything to do with what we read as kids.
I agree with the comments made above that if you can read it, you're old enough. I have 2 grown daughters, the older of which is a social worker dealing with children in foster care. She reads all sorts of books for her clients, whatever they're reading, so they can discuss, not only the book, but whatever other issues which the child may be dealing with. I know she reads books that discuss issues I would wish my young child knew nothing about, like sexual abuse and drugs, but that is a part of the world they live in literally. If reading about a fictional world that includes vampires helps a child deal with the all too unpleasant aspects of their real world, that can only be a plus. Both my daughters were given free rein in their reading choices, and both are now college graduates, gainfully employed (although my younger one is a graduate student so she works part-time) and constant readers, although they read very different things from both each other, and either one of their parents. The Anne Rice book mentioned above does not deal with vampires (I don't think, I couldn't finish it.)However, it is probably like the elementary student who read Animal Farm by Orwell, they could read the words but the real meaning escaped them. I doubt if reading about vampires would hurt anyone unless they felt they were real and were afraid. However, that's true of everything. I remember my younger daughter being terrified of Santa Claus the first few times she saw him live at the mall.
Reading fairy tales in their original form shows a horrifying world. Even in our cleaned up modern version we have witches eating young children, parents leaving young children in the woods to starve or be eaten, and then children killing the witch. Hansel and Gretal is not a lovely little story, full of puppies and kittens. It a story where children can see their fears acted out, and the heroes survive.
Sorry about the length of this. Censorship bothers me. I'll get off my soap box now.
Not a parent, but I can say that I'm so glad my grandma let me read what I did as a youngster. I was hooked on RL Stine ^___^, which I found to be appropriate for the elementary/junior high/high school set. In fact, methinks books are a great way of exposing kids to the world, even that which is paranormal. Beats gory slasher films any day, imo. lol
Yes as a parent you should read what your kids read. It opens the door for talking and you always want that no matter what the age <=..=>
As a parent and now a grandparent of girls 10, 12, 13 and 15 years old, I would let them read anything. What they watch on TV is so explicit, in my opinion, any book that interests them and keeps them reading is just fine with me.
If I had kids I wouldn't limit them to their reading as long as they're reading is all that matters to me so many people don't read these days...but anyways if I had children I would probably want to know what they are reading so I can read it too for my enjoyment
It depends on the child. My daughter is ten and luckily she loves to read just like her momma:) I let her choose what she wants to read within reason. I look at them first but if I chose her books for her she would probably not want to read them. My mom could never have picked my books. I do let her read vampires and werewolves. I just make sure there is no sex or anything outside what I think is ok. I actually have let her read the first two twilight books because there is really nothing to them even though they are in high school. She is very mature though and had seen the movies with her friends.
Out of my 3 kids only one is an avid reader. He's 13 and reads most of the same stuff I do. He read the Twilight series when he was about 11. I let him read whatever he wants and we both recommend books to each other, about the only thing I won't let him read are the ones with the graphic sex scenes, he doesn't want to read them anyway. Not yet anyway.
I have read twilight and dont think its that bad, but my mom dosent want me reading them. I went ahead and read tem anyhow, all of them. I loved them, and i am not 2 young to read it, i loved how it wasn't kids reading. My mother dosen't get that i don't like reading kids books. I like reading a lot of my time. PLs tell me what to do about this if you would mothers.
I let my kids read what they want. Graphic sex scenes are about the only thing I nix. My kids are 14, 12 & 11.Celeste, is there a teacher at school that can champion you by talking to your mom? Someone who can point out books for your reading level? If you're 13/14 are you in 8th grade? Kids books are probably too far below your reading level.
I had to add that my daughter (age 14) asked me the other day about steampunk since I just started reading some books in that genre. She said, 'Do you have any that I can read? That are appropriate?' I had to laugh because I read a lot of books with graphic sex scenes, so she knows those books are off limits for now. :)
im in 7th, and i read some college books. Teachers at my school think that we should chose our own reading, so......
I am a teacher and a parent to a 22 month old. I have always felt that children should read and my child reads and is read to all the time. My students are constantly encouraged to read, but only books on there reading level. I also read to them everyday. If a child in interested in paranormal, fantasy, or anything at all they should be encouraged to read. I actually had an 11 year old that was really reading at a higher level, so I bought him Edgar Allen Poe and he loved it. I always prescreened the books that I allowed the children to read but always kept an assortment including fantasy and paranormal in my classroom.
I would let my children read. But I wouldn't let them read House of Night series.
Celeste wrote: "I have read twilight and dont think its that bad, but my mom dosent want me reading them. I went ahead and read tem anyhow, all of them. I loved them, and i am not 2 young to read it, i loved how i..."My daughter has read those too and the
and
series. She's 14. I've read the first two series and there are some scenes that move toward sex but then it pretty much stops the description. And she's told me about one scene in the Marked series that had me cringing, but I let her finish the books. I sometimes want to grab the books out of her hands but my mother didn't restrict my reading at all - and I read some pretty graphic books at a young age. Maybe I learned stuff a little earlier than other kids, but it didn't turn me to the dark side, so I'll just let her talk to me about the books and let her read what she wants.
Julianne wrote: "Out of my 3 kids only one is an avid reader. He's 13 and reads most of the same stuff I do. He read the Twilight series when he was about 11. I let him read whatever he wants and we both recommend ..."My daughter too, she'll look at my shelf and I'll tell her, "That one has a bunch of sex in it", then she'll put it back.
You know even the Bible has some pretty shocking scenes in the Old Testament about a homosexual rape gang and the man throwing his wife out so he doesn't get hurt with her scratching on the door and eventually dying. And people think that Book is a safe read. I don't want my daughter to be bombarded with sex scenes that go into minute detail, but I just can't make myself tell her no. In fact we've had some pretty great discussions because of books she's read where she will actually listen to what I have to say, which doesn't happen very often at 14.
Jen ~The dreamer~ wrote: "I went to a yard sale when I was 15 and bought the Sleeping Beauty books by Anne Rice. *BLUSH* that was a shock and I hid those away from my mom and I would NEVER let my daughter read them hahaha."Jen - I agree! I first read Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire when I was 12 (after much begging and pleading with my mom) and from there it was all downhill. The first time I read Beauty's Punishment I was like "whooooaaa no way!!" and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I was about 17 when I read that one, tho.
My parents never censored my reading materials. I in turn never told my own children, now 17 and 19 years old, what they could or could not read.I know as a child nothing would have made me more apt to read a book then if I had been told that I was not allowed to. Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest after all.
I agree Kilgallen. The only book my mother took from me was
and that was because it gave me too may bad ideas to try out. Anything else and that includes
and
I could read and read those at 15. I never became a devil worshiping hooker but I did learn how to shoplift! :)
Danielle wrote: "Hey there parents!! I'm not a parent myself but I feel that if you encourage your children to read you should allow them to read what they like. I think that there should be chaperoning when it com..."I am not a parent myself, but I am a Godmother to the children of some friends. I would let them read whatever got them hooked on reading. As long as they understood that the books are a work of fiction and not based on reality if they are reading fantasy books.
If the book caused them to act out like one of the characters I would take that book away until they learned that this is not how you act. Once they got the message (and no I would not give the book back as soon as I took it, I would make them wait a period of time depending on the severity of their actions) I would give them the book back and see how they act after that.
If they are reading something that is teaching them bad behavor that is based on reality, I will take the book and burn it in front of them making them spray it with lighter fluid and light the match and make them watch it burn, telling them the whole time why this ended up happening.
As far as I am concerned as long as they are reading and enjoying it, I don't really care what they read.
I'm a parent and I don't censor anything in my house. Neither in movies, music or books. I do watch with my children what they like to watch ( they goodness my daughter is out of the Yo Ga Ba Ba ), listen to what they like and read what they like. Then I interrogate them. It helps to understand what they think and it keeps the lines of communication open.That being said, I'm also a high school teacher, forever trying to get the attention of students who I call closet readers. Closet readers because they read in school books which I suspect they are not allowed to read at home. They hide them in their locker, read in class, before school, during lunch, after school, have other students check them out ... you get the picture.
Because I am liberal with my own children, and I'm in a delicate position, I can't do much about anything. I was especially upset about the young lady who was severly punished for reading heathen books on withcraft, Harry Potter. My philosophy is to communicate with your kids on what they belive the message is, what they get out of the book. I remember the first time I read Alice in Wonderland, I was maybe 15 years old. What a wonderful fairytale. The last time I read it, when I was about 32, it made me think twice.
Sharon wrote: "I'm a parent and I don't censor anything in my house. Neither in movies, music or books. I do watch with my children what they like to watch ( they goodness my daughter is out of the Yo Ga Ba Ba ),..."Very cool. I also do not censor what my kids read at all. I have a 8 and 12 yo. They read whatever they like (and some things I make them ;p- because we homeschool) The 12 yo is reading Gulliver's Travels at the moment and thought it was hysterical that Gulliver puts out the castle fire in Lilliput by peeing on it.RE sex in books, we have plenty of those books around the house if the kids are interested.
I was never censored, and I don't censor my kids...12 and 16. They've made pretty decent choices, and both love fantasy.
For me, it's less about details of content (including sex, although the graphic body part in body part, "Ooh, harder" stuff I avoid personally) than it is about basic philosophical direction. Children are massively exposed to death and sociopathic behavior on TV (and to unavenged bullying at school), and it's easy to become desensitized to suffering, or to develop a fatalistic view of outcomes. I never read Lord of the Flies because I didn't want to contemplate that level of barbarism (which I knew was present in some of my schoolmates). Likewise, I'm nervous about the popularity of The Hunger Games - "Hey kids, we're gonna put you on an island, and you have to murder a bunch of other kids until you are the only survivor. I'll be great!" I won't try to control who reads what, but I will offer my opinion (if asked) about the values put forward.
Well The Hunger Games actually had a really good message about the insensitivity of people. I believe Suzanne was writing that in response to reality TV and the popularity of watching shock videos on youtube. She was wrote a book about how far we could actually take those things, and the meaning(one of them) behind those books was to remember that everyone is human and has feelings, and no one is born better then anyone else. I feel like I really took away a lot from that book and am trying to get my teenage sister and her friends to read them. I don't sensor what my children read for the most part, since they're young I'm still keeping them away from sex and things that are pointlessly graphic or violent. However, a little fun fantasy is nothing to be worried about. It gets the creative juices flowing which helps kids flourish and thrive.
My daughter, 12, loved Hunger Games. Her English teacher had an issue with the whole idea of kids battling to the death, but nothing as far as censorship...it was just her opinion. I agree with Alisha...there's more to take away from Hunger Games than violence.
It's strange but in my mind I don't mind kids reading about violence, but more about sex. Lately it seems like books try to put across how bad violence is, but glorify sex.
I agree that HG was really intense. I let my 12 yo read it without reading it first myself, and when I finally did read it, I was really shocked by certain parts (of course, those parts went right over my daugher's head, lol). I do think the message of the series comes out loudly and clearly, though.I agree, Shera. For some reason, the sex bothers me more, too. Also, there has been this unnerving trend of brothers and sisters falling romantically in love (without realizing they are related right away.) Over the summer, I read two YA urban fantasies which both that the theme of long-lost brothers/sisters falling in love! And on a popular YA TV show, it was a stepbrother and stepsister! That is not okay in my book.
I find the sibling love interest strange also. I actually had to look up spoilers on one series because even though I loved it, if they were actually siblings I wasn't going to continue since it was disgusting. It does seem to be a popular and strange theme going on right now.
It's been really big since it was revived in the MIS by Cassandra Clare. It doesn't really shock me that much because they either end up not being related, or they move on.However, the few I've read that they really were blood related scared the holy-cows out of me.
I wonder if the authors had a sibling or step sibling that they fell for and that is why they are writing such insestious smut.
That's an interesting thought. I always thought they did it because it sold. People like big drama stuff like that. It's wrong, but we can't pull ourselves away from it.
After all Star Wars did it.
I read a description of a novel about a girl who had a romantic relationship with her long lost blood father--I almost threw up.
I read one that turned into an incest twist that still gives me the heebies.
Shera (Book Whispers) wrote: "That's an interesting thought. I always thought they did it because it sold. People like big drama stuff like that. It's wrong, but we can't pull ourselves away from it.
After all Star Wars di..."
Ah, but George Lucas never intended for a "romantic" relationship between Luke and Laya. They both knew there was a connection between them, but they had a feeling that a relationship was wrong. There was only one kiss scene between Luke and Laya and that was provoked by Han trying to convince Laya she had feelings for him(Han).
Sorry, I was raised on Star Wars and Star Trek, so I am a bit of a geekette when it comes to these movies.
I personally think that these authors are letting that sick incest side of themselves take over. It might sell but it is not a good influance on our youth. Sometimes the authors will make it stop before it goes to far and they soon find out they are related. other authors might let it go too far, that is a sign of a sick fantasy or memory that they have and want it to play out for the world.
True, the Star Wars one never got to a point where I wanted to kill the characters. It never came off as anything other than sibling love. (Normal sibling love!!)
Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Addicts
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Exorcist (other topics)
Steal This Book (other topics)
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