Bring On Twilight: Why I Will Let My Child Read Whatever They Want

I've seen lots of posts on the internet about why children shouldn't read some book or another. Sometimes the reasons are about the quality of writing, and sometimes about the ideas the books espouse. Things like "No girl should ever strive to be Bella Swan, as she is a foolish child who purposefully puts herself in harm's way just to get the attention of an older, dangerous man". 

Well, I think a bit differently. If my children (of which I currently have none, but will in the future) want to read a book, they can read it. 

Now, I'm not saying that I want my daughter to want to be Bella Swan, or that I'd like my kids to be acting out The Hunger Games.  What I am saying, though, is that I want my children to have the most wordly views possible. I want them to be able to look at a belief or a concept from all sides, and then make a well-thought-out decision. So if my daughter comes to me and talks about Twilight, then I will give her Pride and Prejudice to read and compare. If my son shows interest in The Hunger Games, then I will also introduce Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies to him. Comic book? Cool, as long as it followed up by a classic. 

See, silly/idiotic books are not the root of all evil, just like violent video games or meaningless TV shows don't ruin a child's sense of decency.  Unless that is all a child is introduced to. Sure, if a 12 year old girl only reads romance novels, her views on love are going to be skewed. But completely cutting them out is not quite the answer either. 

Yeah, supplying your child with only the classics might save them from the pop culture obsessions with shiny vampires or zombie apocolypse theories. However, ignoring a part of the modern world just to make your job easier is not fair to your child. Want them to become high-functioning members of society? They need to see and understand all of the world. The good and the bad.

I am blessed in that my childhood was very enlightening. My parents have traveled and are well-educated. As long as it was age appropriate, there was never a book we couldn't read, or a movie we couldn't see. By having all avenues of information open to us, my brother and I were able to see and understand the complicated nature of life. Thus, we are also well-educated and worldly adults, and are able to make well-informed decisions. 

So what kind of adult do you want your child to be? 

Also, we were taught early on that stories were just that- stories. A person can write anything they want. There is no reason that a child cannot read any fiction story, as long as they understand that what they are reading is not real. Teach them- Fiction=Fake. Enjoy a story, learn from it, then move on. Read something else. Grow. 

Try it. Open your child's mind to the world. Who knows, they might be able to teach you a thing or two.