Have you wondered what your teens are reading? Are you looking for a guide to wholesome teen reads? This blog is meant to help you become informed about what your teens are reading and about which books you can recommend. On this blog there are links to booklists and reviews that can help you.
What if your teen is reading something that appears inappropriate or immoral? Think of the situation as an opportunity to learn and to teach. Before you overreact and seriously think about banning, forbidding, grounding, and threatening, try this:
read the book’s reviews online at some of the provided links, then read the book (if you can). Talk with your teen about the book, asking questions, mostly, to figure out what she/he thinks about the book and some of its specifics. Listen, listen, listen - your teen will reveal things you need to know as he/she talks. Encourage more talking by asking more questions. Share with your teen your values and express love, talk about limits, and then allow your teen to choose (there is great learning bound up in mistakes and failures - How did you learn what not to read?)*
Follow up later and listen, listen, listen for evidence of learning and growth, struggles and concerns, or?
In short, teach your teens about making healthy reading choices. Allow them to choose their reading material, but be ready to intervene with cautions, teaching, and help. Use every conflict as an opportunity to practice problem-solving, respectful discussion, and patience.
Happy Intervening!
* Teens can get themselves into serious dangers that can be compared to sitting on the railroad tracks with a train coming. We have to warn them and help them to get off. Sometimes they will see and hear the train and choose to remain, but we still have to try. When it comes to reading, the most dangerous situation is pornography. In the case you discover your teen reading pornography, act immediately, but without striking out at your teen. Get some help and counsel. Pornography is a plague raging among our youth which can lead them to immoral, even criminal acts. It can change the way they see others and themselves, and seriously affect their ability to have healthy marriage relationships (see “Entertainment and the Media” in For the Strength of Youth). Do all you can to protect your youth from pornography and other addictions. If they are victimized or choose wrongfully, carefully plan how to help them to recover and heal.
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