My almost 12-year-old stepdaughter likes to read my Women's Health magazines. While I'm mostly happy to loan her the back issues, there are a few articles I don't think her innocent eyes need to see. Case in point, July/August's The Art of Masturbation or, say, The Guide to your Vagina that was in an issue a few years ago.
I'm all for educating pre-teens on sex-related matters. I'd rather they ask questions in the confines of home rather than experiment in some guy's basement. On some level, it's as though Women's Health is sort of letting the parental tripod off the hook by answer questions she may not have knew she had.
But I still wonder, should I censor her reading of these magazines because they talk about matters a little above her right now? I give Women's Health credit in that it shows healthy body images and isn't a glamorous magazine. I'm comfortable with her learning about healthy portions and exercise techniques from the magazine; I just don't know if we're all ready yet for her to learn the why's and how's of the humming behind the birds and the bees.
Given I know Mom and Dad don't want her growing up too fast and we all want her to have a healthy outlook on everything, I ask, ladies, what would you do?
Would you censor the magazines all together?
Let her read them but ask her if she has any questions about what she reads?
Or wait and see if this presents a negative effect and otherwise leave it alone?
3 comments:
That is a tough one....
Personally, I would let her read, and you do the asking at first to see if she does have questions.... I have learned, they wont always ask on their own....
Ooooh, interesting. Well, I think I'd defer to her parents on the touchy articles. And also ask them whether they'd be ok with you asking her if she has any questions. I don't know your relationship with any of said players. But, I do know if it were my daughter, I'd at least like to know what you're giving her to read and also that you might be having these conversations with her.
As a parent, I understand the concern about my kid getting a hold of inappriote material. But welcome to the wide, wide world. And we are not talking about killer weapons or herion filled needles. I read EVERYTHING as a kid, and while some of it was over my head, it at least got me thinking. My advice-give her the magazine but MAKE SURE she knows you are available for questions, and that if she is reading things she doesn't understand, she SHOULD ask questions. Being informative is never bad-using information in the wrong manner is. Oh, and add the disclaimer that her friends aren't the best source. It sounds liek a no-brainer but my mom said that many times-ask her not our friends. Surprise, surprise-our friends didn't know as much as they thought they did!
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