You Spawned Them - You Raise Them
Heard about the Library fight in West Bend, Wisconsin?
Here - read this: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/22/wisconsin.book.row/index.html
Yes, I have a rant. Ready?
If you have children then it is YOUR responsibility to parent them. It is YOUR responsibility to teach them the values you want them to have. It is YOUR responsibility to police what they read, what they watch, the music they listen to, the friends they keep. It is YOUR responsibility to raise them.
Not mine.
Nor is it the responsiblity of schools, libraries, or the government to make sure that your precious darlings are not exposed to those things you find icky, nasty or evil. Don't want them to read a certain book? No problem - be a parent and go with them to the library/bookstore and don't let them check out/buy the thing. Don't want them to see sex on TV? Block the channel. Or better yet sit with them and when the icky stuff comes on explain why you think it is wrong and why you are changing the channel.
Here's the deal, folks. Just because your kids are old enough to read Young Adult fiction (12-18 years old) doesn't mean you get to stop being a parent. You still need to monitor what they are doing, where they are going, who with - all that stuff becomes your responsibility the minute you push them out of the womb. And it doesn't stop being your responsibility unitl they are adults, out of the house, and living their own lives. Like when they are over 18.
The Library, as a public institution, is going to carry materials that you might find offensive. You are allowed to voice your opinion. You are allowed to be offended. This is called Freedom of Speech. But you are not allowed to force your views on others by censoring, restricting access or burning that which you find offensive. And any parent that thinks moving material they feel is sexually explicit to the adult section, labeling it as such, but not restricting who can check it out is somehow going to protect their children from being exposed has completely lost touch with reality. Label something explicit and kids between 12 and 18 are going to be all over that sh!t.
So here's the deal for all you parents out there. A great many of us out here in the rest of society - both those with kids and those without - are getting really freaking tired of being asked to raise your kids for you. The idea that your offspring is somehow some super special snowflake that the whole world must bend over backwards to pamper and protect is, well, bullshit. That is YOUR job.
Now leave the books, Libraries and all those amazing librarians (Hi Sissy!) alone and do YOUR job.
Here - read this: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/22/wisconsin.book.row/index.html
Yes, I have a rant. Ready?
If you have children then it is YOUR responsibility to parent them. It is YOUR responsibility to teach them the values you want them to have. It is YOUR responsibility to police what they read, what they watch, the music they listen to, the friends they keep. It is YOUR responsibility to raise them.
Not mine.
Nor is it the responsiblity of schools, libraries, or the government to make sure that your precious darlings are not exposed to those things you find icky, nasty or evil. Don't want them to read a certain book? No problem - be a parent and go with them to the library/bookstore and don't let them check out/buy the thing. Don't want them to see sex on TV? Block the channel. Or better yet sit with them and when the icky stuff comes on explain why you think it is wrong and why you are changing the channel.
Here's the deal, folks. Just because your kids are old enough to read Young Adult fiction (12-18 years old) doesn't mean you get to stop being a parent. You still need to monitor what they are doing, where they are going, who with - all that stuff becomes your responsibility the minute you push them out of the womb. And it doesn't stop being your responsibility unitl they are adults, out of the house, and living their own lives. Like when they are over 18.
The Library, as a public institution, is going to carry materials that you might find offensive. You are allowed to voice your opinion. You are allowed to be offended. This is called Freedom of Speech. But you are not allowed to force your views on others by censoring, restricting access or burning that which you find offensive. And any parent that thinks moving material they feel is sexually explicit to the adult section, labeling it as such, but not restricting who can check it out is somehow going to protect their children from being exposed has completely lost touch with reality. Label something explicit and kids between 12 and 18 are going to be all over that sh!t.
So here's the deal for all you parents out there. A great many of us out here in the rest of society - both those with kids and those without - are getting really freaking tired of being asked to raise your kids for you. The idea that your offspring is somehow some super special snowflake that the whole world must bend over backwards to pamper and protect is, well, bullshit. That is YOUR job.
Now leave the books, Libraries and all those amazing librarians (Hi Sissy!) alone and do YOUR job.