Reading habits are developed from a young age, which benefits lifelong. Exploring all the genres and what you prefer are all individual choices.

Parents try to introduce books that are motivating, growth-boosting, and have moral value. But sometimes, regulating content is tough. However, exposure to various themes means there can be age-inappropriate elements, emotionally distressing topics, violence, and many other things. A child may or may not be mentally able to understand the sensitivity of the issues.

Children should be exposed to different genres for growth, but examining the content is also important. So, how to be in the middle ground?

Banning all the books having such topics takes a lot of work. Of course, you can’t control and examine every line they read.

The right answer is not to control their books but rather discuss them openly. Some of the steps you can take are:

Be open: You should discuss with your young ones the genres they are interested in. If it is a thriller, horror, romance, or anything, discuss its influence and suggest great books to begin with.

Uplevel gradually: It is obvious that a ten-year-old reading a book about war and its atrocities can impact him badly. So, set age-related boundaries. You can help them up and make them understand how these books will be more understandable once they reach a certain age.

Have a shared reading time: You can suggest the books you have read. Also, having a shared reading time and discussing what they read today will greatly help.
Plus, you can ask your children to stop reading books which make them very uncomfortable, or if they can’t understand it. Also, you can start with different genres with simpler books.

We want to nurture the love of reading in children, but dealing with its extremes is a bit tough. You can strike the right balance through open discussions and also introduce the book according to their maturity levels. Every reader is different, so have honest conversations and mutual respect to set some boundaries.

Exposure to literature from a young age has many benefits. If you have any ideas to strike the right balance and regulate the content of what children consume, feel free to discuss them here.

The post Parents be Mindful About What Their Children Are Reading first appeared on Good e-Reader.