| Author | |
LeeAnn
Forum Pro
Joined: May 25 2007
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 470
|
| Posted: Sept 04 2008 at 10:59pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I just bought an Usborne Children's Encyclopedia from Amazon. In part, I got it so that we'd have a book format resource instead of the kids thinking "Oh let's look it up on Wikipedia!" all the time. Wiki can be a good resource but it led to some unfortunate tangential discoveries while my back was turned (black widow spiders leads to page on "sexual cannibalism"--eek).
Anyhow, I'm loving the Usborne encyclopedia. I'm looking through it all trying to find any RED FLAGS. No pages on abortion or contraception. The pages on Christianity and evolution are very neutral and well done, in my opinion. Then...the page on Reproduction hits me.
There's a two-inch-square drawing of a cutaway view of the actual act of reproduction--close up, not full bodies--like a dissection view--and I'm trying to decide what to do with this page.
Do I ignore it? The likelihood that my kids will look up this particular page, one out of 900 or so is slim. Although with a curious 10 year old, it's possible.
Do I blot out just the offending picture and leave the text? Or does this promote just more curiosity? I do want to provide accurate information to my children, but they're 10, 8, 5 and 2. I don't think they need a visual aid.
Do I glue over the page (so as not to lose the article on the back side) or cut the page out? I don't want to be a heavy-handed censor, but I feel like this page will be a distraction from the way I want to introduce this kind of information to my kids.
Have you ever cut a page out of a book because you thought it was inappropriate?
I think if my kids were teens I wouldn't bother about it. We'd just laugh it off as unnecessarily crude. But at this age, my 10yo (actually 11 in a few weeks) is so fascinated with all things pubescent and adolescent, I don't feel like she needs more information than she has already.
As a bibilophile, I hate to "ruin" a brand new book. 
What to do?
__________________
my four children are 17, 15, 11 & 8 - all now attend public school - we read many 4Real recommended books at home
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Sept 04 2008 at 11:20pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
how about gluing a cute note that says "go ask mom" over the offending picture 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mellyrose
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 12 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 939
|
| Posted: Sept 04 2008 at 11:44pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Is it just the picture that you're concerned about, or the verbiage on the page as well? If it's just the picture, I'd cut a piece of paper and cover up the picture. If it's the whole page, maybe you could cover that page with a blank piece of paper?
__________________
Melanie in AZ
Colin (11/00), Nate (05/02), Lydia (04/07)
My Little Patch of Sunshine
Pictures of our Life
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
LeeAnn
Forum Pro
Joined: May 25 2007
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 470
|
| Posted: Sept 05 2008 at 12:04am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Actually, looking over the article some more, I think I'm going to pull the whole page. The kids have gone to bed now and I've had more time to look it over.
I didn't realize the article was two pages--conveniently the front and back of the same page. Some of the info is good but some of it is just "too much" for right now. (There's a waist up nude drawing of a pregnant mother with rather pronounced anatomical features. Several references to particular characteristics of the male anatomy, etc.) We have other books that deal with fetal development and birth in a way that is age appropriate. I can lose this one page for now.
The separate article "Human Body" is fine with me--the nudity is very subtle--everything is overlaid with internal organs and you hardly see anything--they're illustrations of children's bodies too, rather than adults.
So I guess I've answered my own question. I'm going to carefully slice out the one page and move on. If my 10 year old asks where the page went (I'm not going to black out "sexual reproduction" in the index as it would probably just draw attention), I'll just explain to her that the pictures were a little inappropriate.
Now if only I could censor some of those conversations she's been having with friends from church (!) who went to the human reproduction class at public school. Some awkward questions lately!
__________________
my four children are 17, 15, 11 & 8 - all now attend public school - we read many 4Real recommended books at home
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
LeeAnn
Forum Pro
Joined: May 25 2007
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 470
|
| Posted: Sept 05 2008 at 12:15am | IP Logged
|
|
|
There, it's done! Ta da!
And I'm not going to feel guilty about taking a page out of a brand new book! I'm not! 
Oh, and I'm sorry for misrepresenting Usborne. It's actually the DK Children's Illustrated Encyclopedia.
__________________
my four children are 17, 15, 11 & 8 - all now attend public school - we read many 4Real recommended books at home
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Sept 05 2008 at 2:21am | IP Logged
|
|
|
good for you.. don't think of it as removing a page from a book.. think of it as rescuing the book from having too much information.. after all.. why blame the whole book for just a couple of pages.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stacykay
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 08 2006
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1858
|
| Posted: Sept 05 2008 at 7:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
As for drawings, I added tops to my topless ladies and pants to the ***** male egyptian statues!  They really looked more like tents by the time I got done, but I really didn't want the youngers looking at the drawings and well, not the olders either!
I don't have the same problem with more current statues, by current, I mean like Venus de Milo or the David. And I don't know why they don't bother me to have the boys see them.
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
nissag
Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 23 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1511
|
| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 10:05am | IP Logged
|
|
|
JodieLyn wrote:
| how about gluing a cute note that says "go ask mom" over the offending picture |
|
|
Awesome suggestion, Jodie - I love it! 
Blessings,
__________________
Nissa
Deacon's wife, mother of eleven, farmer, teacher, creator, cook.
At Home With the Gadbois Family
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: To censor or not to censor?
