YA Saves My Thoughts.

  I just spent the last hour listening to the lovely Maureen Johnson debate with Megan Cox Gurdon's. Now I honestly have no idea what this woman is thinking. She believes for some reason that YA novel's will some how just corrupt our children and they will loose all sense of right and wrong and will immediately try to emulate these situations. She also believes that parents should have 100 percent control over what their children do in all aspects. Which I think is just unrealistic and ludacris.

  Now don't get me wrong I believe that parent's should be watching what their children are doing but I also believe that if you try to control their lives they will only rebel that much more. I believe that these novels these wonderful novels that these very talented authors are producing are doing more good than harm. Now there are some kids out their who have a distorted sense of reality and may or may not take the words written on the page to be literal but the majority of the teen population can decipher the fact from fiction. 
  I am a parent and I do not see myself ever telling my child that they cannot read a certain book/genre/author. Now I believe in being aware of the content and then if you feel the need to discussing such issues with your child and making them aware, but if you totally cut them off and shelter them you are only doing more harm then good. Putting your children in little plastic bubbles will not make them safer or stronger but it will only help in making them naive to the world around them.
 Now I am not saying that you should bombard your children with all these situations either but if your child feel that reading these books are something that they want to do then let them. Just help them by making them aware.
  Like I said I am a mother of 3 wonderful little boys and I would do anything to protect them and I believe that an aspect of protecting your children are making them aware of the world that they are living in. The real world, not the bits and pieces that you feel like showing them. 
  I had a hard childhood like a lot of people out there and my escape was through books. These books taught me that I wasn't alone. They taught me that there are other people out there who are going through what I am going through and that if they can make it then I can too. I still read YA. I am 23 and I absolutely adore this genre. I think that it is a great escape and a great way for people to connect when they feel that they can't. 
  I want to give my praise to Maureen Johnson. You spoke on behalf of the YA Community and you couldn't have done it with any more grace and charisma then you did. I also want to personally tell Cheryl Rainfield that your novels need to be on the shelves. The content of your work is yes "dark" but it is a part of so many children's lives and it is not going to go away until parents/teachers are made aware of the epidemic with their children. YA Author's need to be treasured. People need to stop harping on authors for bringing these situations into the light. They are only doing what so many people are afraid to do, shedding light on what really happens with our teens. Stop criticizing them for speaking up and stop trying to silence their voices because we will only scream louder.