A question to parents

[You_Rang]

In my small-town library (population of about 7500) A girl who was 12 checked out 50 shades of Grey. I know her parents, they are staunch anti-censorship people and quite progressive in thought. The literary quality of the book would probably offend them more then what the book was about. My question is how much input do you give to what your child reads, or that matter what she/he watches tv or film wise or the video games that they play?

[Regulus]

If I had kids I would not allow them to watch anything on TV, but they would have full access to my DVD Library.

[Torgo]

I definitely wouldn't have let my daughter read 50 Shades Of Gray at any age, but not because of its adult content. Fortunately she has good taste.

My wife and I had to compromise many times, and a lot of times I let her decide as we were both raised very differently, my parents were very lax on what I was allowed to watch and read at a young age, but my wife was raised by far more stricter parents. Though I'm fairly strict on not letting my daughter watch some of the movies in my collection, even at 17 there's movies I don't want her seeing.

[Sterling Holobyte]

My town has just a little more population than yours, but you would be surprised at the filth I have found, unintentionally, at our public library. And this was in the children's section.
The first one was a teen book(in our library, the "teen" section is right next to the children's section) that my wife checked out, thinking it would probably be a safe read. She was wrong. She showed me why she stopped reading it, and I couldn't believe the things they were talking about in that "teen" book.
The second one I came upon while my daughter was looking for a book. Right across the aisle from the books she was looking at, I casually picked up a supposed "tween" book and flipped through the pages. Once again, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Graphic depictions of... well, things that girls sometimes do to guys.
I brought that book up to the librarian who was there(I know the library director, but she was not in, or else I would have went to her) and showed her what I saw in that book, while also asking if they screen these books before they come in. She tried to make excuses, and she seemed like she didn't care much, but I think that could have been more because of her inexperience(she was fairly new) and embarrassment.
I did see the library director in a store not long after, and she wanted to talk with me about that incident. She said they can't read through every book, but did say that the offending book had "disappeared"; that it was gone; vanished.
I asked if it was at least possible to put the young children's section away from the older "kids" section and she said there was no way because they just don't have room. I can kind of understand that because that is an old library.
But I also don't take my kids into that library much anymore, and NEVER leave them alone there. Sad to say that, but it is a reality in our society, and the ALA, which allows written pornography(that is basically what it is) in our children's books and libraries.

Be ever vigilant, parents.

[RoryGilmore]

Originally Posted by You_Rang

In my small-town library (population of about 7500) A girl who was 12 checked out 50 shades of Grey.

I'm 22 and don't feel old enough for that book

[Furienna]

I was pretty much allowed to read anything, as long as I didn't show my mother the things, of which she was offended.