"It doesn't matter what book it is, at least they're reading!"
I've heard that statement from people and its usually said with a shrug of the shoulders and kind of an "oh well".
Believe me, I understand the sentiment especially as a busy mom of two young boys.
When it's time to walk into a library to pick out new books for the week it usually takes most of my energy to keep the boys respectfully quiet and staying by my side, let alone monitoring every single book they're begging to bring home.
However, I want to call us to something more as parents and adults (because it applies to us as well). It DOES matter what we read and allow into our thought systems.
We are called, according to the Bible (Philippians 4:8), to think on things that are lovely, noble, right, excellent, of good report, things that are true and things that are pure.
This has been a journey for me to know where that boundary lies in even what I read as an adult. It's easy to get caught up in wanting to read the latest and greatest novel, memoir, or self help book.
But is that always what is right? Is that what is true and pure? If I filter everything I read or what I allow my children to read through this verse, it helps bring definition to those boundaries.
Does that mean we can't ever read anything that's questionable (or non-christian) and use it as a teaching moment? No. I've done this many times.
If there is a book we want to "try", we read it together and as I read I can either filter through the questionable material for my child by deleting words or phrases according to his age or I will use the time to create a discussion about why this is questionable material and we can decide together whether we should be reading it.
It helps my children, with some gentle guidance at their young ages, to learn to think these concepts through for themselves.What we read does affect us and it will affect our children...for good or bad.
Let's take the time to filter what comes into our homes. It's always worth it. It does matter.
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