Amanda Cleary Eastep

Do you censor the books your children read?

This was a question a mother of young readers asked on Instagram. She explained that she doesn’t — she believes her children will quickly become bored with certain scenarios–such as a teen romance–and simply toss that book aside.

Maybe the same way kids might get bored with playing brain-eating zombie video games or pouring root beer over their frosted flakes? I suppose it’s possible.

Perhaps, though, we should curate what our children read. Why? Because books play an important role in forming the moral imagination.

Read more in the Celebrate Kids newsletter.

UPDATE: Something I didn’t mention in the article linked above is the definition of curate as a noun, which adds a deeper level of meaning to what books we put in the hands of our youngest readers. A curate (think parish priest) is a “person charged with the care of souls.” (Merriam Webster)

Part of the soul care we provide for our children involves the books we choose for their shelves or the ones we read with them. Books don’t have to be “Christian” to form a child’s moral imagination. But do the books align with biblical truth? Do the stories ultimately point toward Christ?

(Okay, I’m not talking about Captain Underpants, which I happen to think is hilarious, but you get the idea…)

Photo by Jernej Graj on Unsplash