Let Parents Parent Their Own Kids

When a book is banned, we know that perspectives, information, and a view of a wider world has been made inaccessible, often to children. The ability to see others and themselves is erased and the message is that something is so unacceptable that no one should read it. These “concerned citizens” seek to protect kids from what scares them, challenges their beliefs, or keep them away from what they deem “inappropriate”. It’s about power and paternalism. The message is “we know better than you what is good for your kids.”

Read more: Let Parents Parent Their Own Kids

When speaking with someone making a complaint, I mention that it is the job of individual parents to make decisions about what their own children read. It is not my job to affix LGBTQ warning labels on books, as one parent wanted, because she didn’t like having to discuss gender and sexuality with her child. Nor is it the job of one parent to say she speaks for all parents, as another said repeatedly, when complaining about a book she didn’t want her own children to read.

So, what conversations are parents having with their children? In a series of brief discussions, I learned that parents and their kids talk about age and developmental appropriateness, particularly when it comes to romance and relationships in books. Discussions are happening in homes when something in a book is puzzling, scary, sad, or any other kind of strong emotion, including embarrassment. This is exactly what we encourage. Talk it out. One young respondent said she thinks we have to trust the professionals to know what is appropriate, whether it is a book in a library or part of a school assignment. And perhaps that is the crux of book bans, the lack of trust in anything and anyone outside of yourself and your world view, and the desire to impose this on others, who clearly need to be parented, no matter their age.

Today’s blog post was written by Judy Ehrenstein, on behalf of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee.  They can be reached at judy.ehrenstein@gmail.com. 

This post addresses the core competencies of I. Commitment to Client Group and IV. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials.

The post Let Parents Parent Their Own Kids appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 When a book is banned, we know that perspectives, information, and a view of a wider world has been made inaccessible, often to children. The ability to see others and themselves is erased and the message is that something is so unacceptable that no one should read it. These “concerned citizens” seek to protect kids from what scares them, challenges their beliefs, or keep them away from what they deem “inappropriate”. It’s about power and paternalism. The message is “we know better than you what is good for your kids.” When speaking with someone making a complaint, I mention that it is the job of individual parents to make decisions about what their own children read. It is not my job to affix LGBTQ warning labels on books, as one parent wanted, because she didn’t like having to discuss gender and sexuality with her child. Nor is it the job…
The post Let Parents Parent Their Own Kids appeared first on ALSC Blog.  Read More

ALSC Blog