@jerry-d

My 11 yo is an avid reader. We frequently go to the library and sometimes to Barnes and Noble bookstore to buy her age-appropriate books for her age and reading level. She’s partial to books that are in a comic book format where each page is a series of small frames within which illustrated characters are interacting and when they speak, there are word bubbles indicating who is speaking. Barnes and Nobles sells many of these types of books. My daughter chose one and it was over 200-pages long. I read the first few pages and it was about friends going to some summer camp at a lake with a bunch of other kids. There were camp counselors at the camp directing activities for many groups of kids. It all seemed innocuous enough. Well, my 11 yo daughter kept reading the book over and over from front to back and I wondered what the draw was to keep her coming back for more. So, I read the entire book. It only took about 30 mins or so. To my surprise, about 100 pages into the book, one of the boys was hurting himself because he didn’t know how to deal with his feelings. 150 pages into the book, it got into two very young boys around 10 years old who were best friends discovering they have non-platonic feelings for each other. These topics were not disclosed on the face or inside cover of the book. They were far from conspicuous and there was zero indication from the illustrations or anywhere else that self-harm and exploration of homosexuality. This is what adulting is like today. This is the last time I’m accepting guilt or shame from anyone for accusing me of being a helicopter parent. Be ready to talk with your young children about difficult topics perhaps much sooner than you’d hoped. From Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Goodnight Moon to self-harm, suicidal thoughts about drowning, and sexuality - all within the space of kindergarten to sixth grade. Good luck to all you parents out there.

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