Hi Todd,

Thank you for your reply to my email. You have certanly cleared things up for me. I now understand the difference. My understanding is now clear, I read many types of books: fantasy, scifi, horror, and action, to name but a few, and a lot of them I would definitely class as adult. So thank you for your help, it will come in handy when the time comes for me to do censorship for any family I will have in the future.

Stewart,

I don’t know about censorship. I find with my daughter that she tends to self-censor with remarkable ability. Books that are too scary she avoids, books that are too “gross” she avoids — at least until she’s odl enough to tackle them. Stuff that is now a sort of “cool gross” (mostly associated with bathroom humor) for her age were “too gross” only a year ago. Then there’s stuff that’s “yuck gross” usualy having to do with romances steamier than exchanging poignant looks — and I expect that’ll change in another three years or less.

I think the best trick is to have a supply of books that you’ve read and have determined are appropriate for your children’s age at the time readily available for them. But I wouldn’t stop my child from reading most of the books on my shelves — I find that her own interests keep her from the ones I feel are a little advanced for her.

Also, if you’re going to have a family, I’ll expect you’ll find yourself having to consult with your wife on such matters as well.

Cheers,
Todd