To think it is fine for children to have comics

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DS really LOVES comics. For Christmas he would love subscriptions etc., but some grandparents are against this. They think it is not educational.

So what?

A) This is your child and not theirs

B) Not everything has to be educational

If you want to buy him comics then do it.

Oh wait, do you want the grandparents to pay the subscription?

If so then YABU

They shouldn't buy him things they're not happy to buy. So if that's the case, buy them yourself.

Superheroes are a perfect way to teach physics. Tell GPs to stick that in their pipe and smoke it.

Oh fgs what's wrong with comics now. Tell them to get over themselves.

DC have Beano on subscription. It's a brilliant present.

What's not educational about it? It's got words in it, hasn't it?

Or you could go for more "educational" comics, like Discovery Box or Aquila which are also brilliant. Or subscribe to RSPB for their comics.

Comics are great for reluctant readers. It doesn't matter what they read (within reason!) as long as they're reading something. Also, it's Christmas, it's meant to be fun.

There's a brilliant National Geographic comic for children.

IMO anything that helps encourage them to read with speed and confidence is good. Do your DPs/PILs never read for pleasure?

As long as it makes them keen on reading it is good.
Not everything has to be educational (though I can't see why comics aren't)
Obviously if they don't want to buy them suggest something else.
If they don't want them to have them whoever buys them then just nod, smile and ignore.

Comics are great. And there are so many issues re getting boys to read for pleasure - way better that they're reading a comic than that they're reading nothing.

bloody hell. How boring would life be if everything we did or had had to be educational?

There's room for both, for crying out loud. They really need to relax.

I used to buy DS2 a comic every Thursday on the way home from school. I think he still has a few of them in his bedroom!

Age appropriate comics are fabulous.

I do worry that a lot of parents buy comics that are not intended for children without realising that they are very inappropriate.

But that's not what you're asking :) just a personal rant.

All reading is good reading when it engages dcs.

I presume these are child-friendly comics, not anything with an age warning on it? If so, I'm really not seeing the problem...

So long as it's not 'Viz' I can't see the harm. I got the Beano every week for nearly 10 years, didn't stop me going to university (and reading Viz.)

Bloody hell of course they are educational - it is still reading. They also stimulate creativity - they make up their own games based around the stories and characters they have read. They may also draw some of the figures.

Marvel is massively popular at the minute.

Can I recommend The Phoenix? Got a subscription for boys a year or so ago and they love it, wait for it to appear every week, have kept them all and re-read them. There are no adverts so more room for stories (some of which are very funny).

www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/

(no I don't work for them!)

DS loves The Phoenix, we have it in our local library (but you can only read them there, not take home). He also enjoys some of the Marvel comics that are aimed at younger readers. It's all reading!

Have the GPs been asked to buy the subscriptions as a Christmas present? If so, then if they don't think it's a good idea then they should be allowed to choose something else. If you plan to buy the subscriptions then it's none of their business.

My only objection to comics (actually 2 objections) is that they are astonishingly expensive for the amount of actual reading in them and that they usually come with some plastic tatt taped to the front.

As a GP, I would probably prefer to give something more tangible that can be unwrapped and played with on the day.

We have spent our Christmas budget for DS already (on comic related stuff-he already has Beano subscription). This is a chid who wanted a comic themed room;papered with comics. He loves DC comics, Marvel etc. The subscription he started asking for one GP has now happily agreed to (thankfully as I would have been upset come Christmas i fhe did not get it). I was just upset at the other GP (who wanted to get an educational magazine).

Anyone who thinks that Christmas presents have to be educational is being unreasonable. Just to clarify though are they saying they won't get him a subscription or are they trying to dictate that nobody should buy him one?

I'm going to look in to the phoenix.

Sorry x posted there, glad your DS is getting the comic.

This annoys me.

Every year sil asks dd & ds what they want for Christmas & every year she says I'm not buying that, that's not the sort of thing you have for Christmas.

Why bother to ask?

To be fair 3/4 are very happy to get DS comic subscriptions. The subscriptions are the highlight of his week/month. Just one wanted to get a more educational magazine (so they were not upset at getting a subscription, they merely wanted to state which one). I think this is a little bit on going as certain GPs have tried to encourgage him (read bribe) to choose certain books etc. I just love him to read. Our finances are very limited- if one set had not agreed we could not have got him this subscription. They have not tried to state that no one should try to get him a subscription.

Some of the most successful presents my DC have had over the years have been surprises people chose them that they didn't know they wanted IYSWIM. Children don't need to get everything on their list or exclusively things that are on the list.