to feel uneasy about my son reading Enid Blyton books

Both my boys have a bible and we have read them together, we still read the Easter and Christmas story's at Easter and Christmas to give these events there true meaning.
DS1 ask many more questions then DS2 and the ones I could not answer I got DS1 to put to our priest and to DP (who is a non believer) both sides of the discussion.

nite all x

We are reading the time apprentices at the moment DS2 and I and it is very good, DS1 read it in a day, It follows on from the time wreccas and is a really good book.

ok, someone has started a thread about being uncomfortable with child reading bible. Decided to post here cos that is obv a send up thread. Ds has a child bible (he asked for one) and asked why god killed so many people. I found it really hard to explain, so said that these are stories from long long ago and what people believed at the time. It doenst mean that everything is exactly how it says. I used geneisis as an example as ds knows about the big bang theory etc so therefore doesnt bleieve the god creating out of clay with his hands story as a literal thing iyswim. Anyway, I found the childrens bible far more challenging in terms of questions etc than any other book we have read together. (he wanted me to read the 'whole' childrens bible which we did overa period of time) I am glad we did as gives him a undersatnding of christiantiy. altho not actively 'religios here think it is healthy ds explores religion. He has recently had a childrens book out about hindism. He felt sad they shaved their heads (he has a thing about growing his )

Oh it's got nicer in here now - become more of a chat about kids and books again.

I recently started reading the magic faraway tree to dd, i remember finding it magical and enchanting as a child. It was actually dull and in places a bit nasty and we gave up half way through. My kids can read them if they want, I did enjoy them up until about age 8. - they won't become racist obviously, whatever they read - they can choose what they want, but they will always have me droning my guardian reading liberal blah blah views at them.

Quatt I agree with alot of what you've said further down in the murkier bit, but couldn't for sentences as i was gnawing my keyboard with irritation at some of the other posts.

Awen, DS2 [age 6] loves boobies expect to find playboy under his bed long before DS1

Quattro - didnt get it re sending yourself up. Am a bit tired tonight Think I might go to bed in a minute. My ds is the same age as yours and loves reading horrid henry, I think what really pleases me is that he voluntary enjoys reading. Often he will read in the morning before school and I have to read him at least 2 stories or chapters a night. HE also likes the calvin and hobbes comic books (i secretly like thm too).

After I read enid blyton I remember I read a fair few catherine cooksons (was about 13 when i started reading them) There was some norty bits in them too.

Kimi - think ds would opt for playboy he saw front cover of FHM in newsagents and said very loudly look nekid layyyydeeess mummy.

You've answered your own question, Quattro. That's how it works in your family. Like you say, you're not over keen on some of your daughter's choices but you support her right to choose. Think we are in some kind of agreement there. It's not for me to say what age really, I suppose from when they can read. Of course, we can guide them as to the level of reading material they would be able to tackle of course, but not necessarily the content.

Do you know that out of all these posts the OP has posted twice.

i read EB and loved her and i am not a racist, quattro. but like bookworm i was well over her by the age of 9, having finished all the malory towers and st clares books. i might add i've read all your ee nesbitt's and arthur ransomes etc etc as well. i then moved onto georgette heyer, more lovely spriggy muslin trash, and then i rememeber spending my 1st year at secondary knee-deep in Bronte country, daph du maurier and, yikes, stephen king.

Yes binkle but what sort of age? I mean DD is pretty well fully autonomous and she is 9. She thinks EB is total rubbish so that suits me. I don't like buying her some of the things she likes - for example the nth Simpsons book - not really books IMO - but I feel I ought to get at least some of them.

Still buy all my son's books for him and he is 7. With the exception of Horrid Henry he will not read them anyway.

Let me see Enid or playboy.......

Obviously up until a certain age, we have to choose our childrens reading material but after that who are we to tell them what to read? Would you like to be given a selection of books deemed suitable to you? Who decides?

I think some people just want to take away childhood all together, yes we need to guide our children, but we do not need to indoctor them with our thoughts on something anything and everything from a young age.
Baa baa black sheep only becomes a issue of race to a child if you make it one, as does names in books, to the child its a made up name there is no need to tell them it can be used in a derogatory manner, chancer are they will never use it as such.
DS1 heard the word n*** being used by someone and ask what it was, I explained to him what it could be used to imply but did not tell him he was not to use it,[although I would not have been happy if he had] he worked that out for himself, he was about 6 at the time.

awen - I was sending myself up. Not very successfully. SM is right though about becoming entrenched and the discussion in fact going round in a vicious circle.

Someone will come on in a minute and say "I read EB and loved her and I am not a racist" which really doesn't advance the discussion on how to guide our children's reading if indeed it is possible or desirable to do so. The OP makes the assumption that it is possible and desirable, as had I but BWM made me question that.

EB books were magical. As a child, I loved them and I didnt pick up any negative connotations at all that I carried into everyday life, thoughts like that just didnt enter my head. If my dad, whilst reading the book to me had read the word chinky - then paused to give me a talk about why it wasnt a word to be used in polite conversation etc - then it would probably have become an issue but in Enid Blyton books the story simply washes over the child (which, to my mind, is exactly what a storybook should do) and I dont believe the details are absorbed in the adult way in which it is being suggested.

Some think they are dross which is fair enough. Boring old world if we were all the same.

Some states in the USA still burn Darwin.
The more you read, the more you learn, and to have an objective view you have to read all sides of a discussion not just the side you are on.

Ok I know that's a little more advanced then the name of a pixie in a childs book, but I think this debate has gone many ways nows.

Quattro - I had a lot of respect for you in terms of your posting last nite but it does irritate me when someone does the whoel 'I'm right, your wrong'. When someone is like that what is the point of discussing with them as they are not interesting in seeing the others view point. This thread has certainly made me think about the book ds reads and perhaps helped in the way that should he read something that may contain sexist attitudes, for example, it would be a good opener to discuss with him.

I think that there has been several different issues discussed. If I am correct in thinking no one has agreed that using words like "chinky" is ever justified. However should a book for example, be banned because it uses language from a different era.

Silent MInority, I am sorry that you experienced bullying at school. Is a horrible thing to be picked on for whatever reason. I was teased/bullied for having red hair. I have to say tho that I read EB and I never called a person a name because of the book, actually I have never called anyone a name because of the colour of their skin or what they look like. I also believe that my ds would not point his finger at someone in the street and call them a name because of what they look like. I have partaken in this thread because of the fact that I dont believe that I would censor my ds from reading EB but I believe that parenting and communication with your child is the best way to ensure they respect others regardless of colour/religion/cultural values.

SilentMinority, from your post I think we can see that it is the PEOPLE and not the words that are the problem.
Some people will find a way to turn something that is not in its self offensive and make it so by the context in which they use it, and if we let people like that see they can cause pain by doing do they will continue to do so.

I have been called names n my time and I try not to let it get to me as the people doing in are stupid and have no brain to work out a real argument so resort to name calling.

Hi SM. Good to meet you. Sorry about ammunition for bullies.

Yes you are right that people are entrenched. I am entrenched but that is because I "know" that I am right on this one!!

nite nikki xx

Of course we have a steering role, and we also hope a voice of reason for them. It is good that you are so firm in what you are doing, if it works for you. Thing is for my family it doesnt work entirely like that. Doesnt mean that my ds will grow up to be racist/sexist and neither does it mean that yours will. We do the best we can with what we have got. This is a supportive site (I hope) how often are we setting ourselves against eachother over merely a small point, a difference in views.

Speaking as one who's been directly affected by the word "chinky", using it probably won't ensure your kid joins the BNP, but what it often does is to give ammunition to bullys.

At school I remember anything having any link to china or chinese people being bastardised on the playground into an insult - The Goons "Ying-tong" song, Monty Python's "I like Chinese", even the Hong-Kong Phewy cartoon. I guess what I'm saying is that no matter how innocent and inoffensive something seems to be, kids can always create cruelty/bullying from nothing, even from a slitty-eye elf named "Chinky".

Been very impressed with the morality and empathy from some of the posters here.

Not sure why I'm posting this as it seems most people are entrenched, but scars from bullying always remains with you, no matter how old you are and felt I should give another perspective.