Yeah, I know what you're thinking... 2 posts in one day?! Wow! Ryan is on overtime! Ha... Anyway...
This is about a serious issue. Something that I myself have never experienced first hand but have just had a friend of mine tell me about. He's the same age as me and has a little brother who's 11. He's a very advanced reader for his age and loves reading in general. He's always asking his brother to ask me what he should be reading and on many occasions I've lent him ARC's to see what he thinks and never had much of a problem until recently. His mum found a copy of a book I lent him, The Hunger Games actually. He hadn't yet started reading it and his mum decided to have a ganders... What followed wasn't pretty.
She finished the book in a couple of hours and went storming in to him telling him that if he ever reads anything like that ever then it'll probably be the worst decision of his life. Not only would it mess him up but it'd also seriously affect his sleeping and his relationship with his parents as it portrays adults in a bad light.
When my friend told me this I burst out lauging. "Are you serious?" I asked him and he was deadly serious. His mum was fuming and told him to give the book straight back to me. And as a result she is now screening everything he reads. He has to wait weeks to read some books and some are just completely out of the question. He owns the first 7 Alex Rider books and was eagerly anticipating the finale, Scorpia Rising and even ordered a copy with his own pocket money. His mum OPENED THE PACKAGE and read it and confiscated it straight away! Her excuse: Spies live dangerous lives and cause people to act stupidly,
MADNESS!
His brother brought him Department 19 by Will Hill on my recommendation and gave it to his brother but his mum found it, confiscated the cover after declaring it looks horrific and full of violence. Then she proceeded to read it and said it was too much for an adult let alone teenagers.
It sounds completely unreal but I know it goes on. I've seen her. It's just... I can't begin to explain how sad it makes me feel. I've always been allowed total freedom as regards to what I read. When I didn't have my own money when I was in school my parents were more than happy to buy me a book. They didn't care what it was about so long as I got the enjoyment out of it that I sought. And I did. It hurts to know that there are people out there not allowed to enjoy such freedom just because of over protective children. I'm only 19 but I know that if kids want to do something they will in the end, regardless of what their parents say. They can't be protected forever, and the more they are restricted the more likely they are to take advantage at that first opportunity.
This sort of behaviour is terrible and as far as I'm concerned is totally unwarranted. Yes parents have a job to do, but there is a line and sometimes it's crossed by a margin too big to deny!
Rant over... Ha.
