#also shoutout to middle school ender's game readers

[lazynoodlepuff]

Also as another childhood reader who just read anything they got theirbhands on, without parents breathing down my nevk what I shoukd and shouldn't read. I did read a lot of adukt books as a young teen, and I think with all the different readung experiences I developed enough self awerness to be able to assess if I'm too young to read a book (might want to come back later) or I just dont want to read it at all

There's a book thats quite controversial in Polish fantasy literature cjrcles called Ahaia that features a lot of secualising and weird sexual stuff and rapey stuff that I oicked up when I was in middle school and I just bounced off it. I knew I didn't want to read it - no one took the books away from me. I was able to assess thatvits bot for me either right bow bc im too young or bc I want dont want to read it, and I never cane back to those books.

Around the same time I was reading Solaris by Stanislaw Lem which is a high concept sci fi novella for a competition and it was such a nightnate to get through. I probably would have left it alone if it wasnt for a competition but I was aware it wasnt for me at that point. Hell, I haven't watched some horror hory anime mybbest friend was watching bc I was able to assess it's not something I want to see. Have I been traumatised by half a season of higurashi I've seen? No, but I was able to tell that I have nk desire to watch anything like that again

The point is, the children who are allowed to read everything are likely to be able to develop the sense of what is and isn't right for them, they will get some stuff and miss other context. I was aware that Flowers in The Attick was kinda trashy and dark fir showing stuff being fucked up sake, back when I was reading it at 14. I didn't get traumatised but knew it wasn't for me even though my classmate enjoyed the whoke series

Children and teens need to learn how to assess whats good for them and how to deal with uncomfortable feelings. That fiction is just that - fiction. It can make us upset l, dishusted or disturbed but it will not harm us

I may joke that im forever traumatismed by teen drug addict memorials I read at 14 bc of how graohic and memorable they were, but it did forever changed how I look at drugs and addiction. It was sad and heartbreaking to read but it didn't damage me as a person. At that point I could develop enough emotional awerness to be able to deal with uncomfortable feelings but talking to my mom sure helped

Let's just let kids explore literature and be open to helping dealung them with uncomfy feelings if they need us. We can't protect children from every thing that could possibly upset them

And if you stop them from readubgs Flowers in the Attic, they wil look at murdery creepypastas or something online. They will find morbid stuff either way, let's just help them to learn hownto filter what they want to watch or read and how to deal with being upset

There is genuinely no such thing as an inappropriate book for a child.