Read it before they do.

There's a great article written in the WSJ that I spent some time reading today. Here's the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html

The article basically says that Young Adult (YA) fiction is filled with themes that shouldn't be there. That there is a normalization of radical behavior going on in the fiction the kids are reading.. When a heroine of a story is described as a cutter who bleeds herself out  - then I start having a problem.

The darkness of the YA fiction isn't needed. It doesn't help kids deal with the issues that might make them engage in such behavior. Instead, it normalizes the behavior. If your kids are reading a box about teenagers having sex - then they are going to think it's okay. Compare that to some of the Judy Blume stuff- where kids work through their puberty issues instead of blatantly acting out on them.

Fiction exists to help us see the lives of others, to provide escapes, and show us what can be. Young adults have enough issues in their lives without their fiction being so dark. What happened to uplifting fiction? Is it not cool to be a hero anymore? Harry Potter isn't cool? What about Percy Jackson? Judy Blume? How about Tamora Pierce? All of these book/authors deal with crisis in their characters, and with puberty and emerging sexual feelings, without being grotesque and over the top.

So how do you prevent certain material from falling into your children's hands? You parent - spend some time reading the book before the kids do. It is time consuming - and the amount of YA fiction - and even kid's fiction - that I've had to read to find something for my kids to enjoy is ridiculous. But it is part of what I have to do as a parent.