Monitoring What They Read

I don't read everything my daughter reads. I can't keep up with her. Especially not when she's whipping through a book a day, and three on Saturdays. Heck, I don't even have the time to carefully read all of her textbooks and reading materials for school. I'd spend my whole life doing nothing but reading and not get anything else accomplished. However, this doesn't mean I don't monitor what she's putting into her brain.

How could I possibly monitor her when I'm not reading? Well, I do the best I can. I watch the authors she's checking out of the library, and I do a little research on them. I ask the librarians about the books. I ask my mother - because they seem to have the same taste in authors. And I hope I've given my girl the best tools I can so that she can monitor herself.

Another thing we do, is we keep the lines of communication open. She knows if she has any questions about the things she's reading, she can talk to me about it. Even if it's a book she knows I don't really appreciate. She knows I'll tell her my honest opinion, and she's self-assured enough not to take it personally. For instance, right now she's into books about vampires. (Not Anne Rice, which she's tried and doesn't like, but books along those lines.) I don't have an appreciation for that stuff anymore, and I tell her so, but when she runs across something she doesn't understand, she asks me.

You can't monitor everything your child is reading. (Unless you aren't doing anything else - like reading your own books, maintaining a household, keeping a job, writing, relaxing, etc.) Do the best you can, and keep the lines of communication open. You'd be surprised at how much you can keep an eye on.

(In the coming posts, I hope to create a list of suggested fiction works I think are important, good, or just fun - without presenting negative ideas/philosophies. If you have anything you'd like to suggest, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail.)