censorship.

I'm not for censorship when it comes to my 5th grade reader. Really. Guided reading, yes. Censorship, no. Without looping in all the arguments for and against censorship, I stand on one truth: She will learn about the world, whether I try to protect her from it or not. I want to equip her, because I cannot protect her from life on earth forever.

Have I shocked you? Well get ready for this - cuz this will really curl your toes. DAILY - I encourage her, in some way or another, to read the most controversial book ever written. It is full of adultery, rape, murder, homosexuality, incest, suicide, witchcraft, demonic power, war, torture, dismemberment, and then also love, friendship, poetry, - you name it, it's in there. Why would I ask her to read such a book? Because I know it will open her mind to the world in which we live. But more than that - the Bible is living and active, and by it God will open her eyes to see the Way truth and the LIFE.

Are all books so powerful? No. The Bible is the only one that is God's living Word. However, I can teach her to see every other book - every aspect of life that man can pen or imagine - by the one that God wrote so that we could have eyes to see and ears to hear. Any book can point in some way to the truth of this world that God has already addressed.

Do I want her to read all books? Absolutely not. I don't read all books. And I would even go so far as to say God doesn't want her to read every book that is introduced to her. However - I want for her - what God wants for her; to learn the blessing of a choice that is for God, and the consequences of one that is not . I want her to realize that the power to make either choice is hers.

Recently she brought home a book from the library that tells a girl's tale of revenge on people that were unkind to her. Gasp! How could I let her read such a book? Yeah that story could be found in the Bible too. King Saul was known for seeking revenge. Will you let your children read that story? It's a good one! And maybe she will compare and contrast this tale with that truth - or maybe not, but as I read this library book with her...I can be her tour guide or her book-talk club. And in the midst of those literary, mother/daughter moments, I can also teach her the critical thinking skills that I want her to employ for the rest of her life in every area of her life.

One morning after reading about Herodious, the wife of Herod, I sat thinking about what just happened in this wicked tale of a daughter who danced for her father the king, and a Saint who lost his head because of it. What could be learned from this? Surely something could. My heart was completely arrested.

Herod's wife hated John the Baptist. She wanted him dead because he told her husband it was wrong for him to have married his brother's wife...her. Guilt ridden, black heart, she wanted him out of her seared conscious. Her daughter's exquisite dance before her daddy and guests pleased the king so much he told her he would give her anything up to half the kingdom. Can you imagine? What power this little girl had at her fingertips! She did what a lot of little girls might do; she asked her mom to help her think about what she should ask for. How this mother convinced this daughter to forgo riches and jewels or a journey to an island, or a husband, I have no idea - or do I? But nevertheless, she told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a plate. How gross! and how utterly dissatisfying to a child. Or not? This daughter did as her mother suggested, and the father did not back down on his promise. He gave her exactly what she asked for. She gave it to her mother. And what did her mother do with the head of John the Baptist? But greater still, what will I do with this story now stuck in my own head?

A daughter who pleases her father can have great influence. And a mother can have great influence through her daughter. This thought will not let me go.

How did this girl think/feel about herself before this happened? after?
What did she think about others before this happened? after?
What did she think about God?
What have I just learned in light of what God has taught me about myself? others? Him?


Considering all of this, I wrote four simple questions on a sticky note and stuck them in the cover of the book my daughter would be reading later that day. Already we have had some amazing discussions...not just my daughter and I - but our whole family. Cool book talk for sure. You wanna know the four questions? I hope so! Because I would love to share them with you - for your readers and you to enjoy as well.

1. How does the main character feel about herself/himself?

2. How does the main character treat others?

3. How does the main character feel about God?

4. What do you - yourself - understand about these 3 questions in light of what God has taught you?

Questions to help her read with purpose may enlighten her understanding; they may even influence what she chooses to read next time. (That would be great!) My certainty rests in the solid one on one talk time that will make my little girl well aware that what she reads and thinks matters to her momma - very, very much.