The title, Of Times, Teens, and Books, got my attention. I wanted to see what the author had to say about what teens were interested in, which books meant most to them, and which books would help these teens become more reflective thinkers and "world changers". This chapter did help me get some resources.
However, my mind took a detour to a comment made on the second page. It states, ..."In addition to negotiating a range of multiliteracy demands with ease, adolescents are also entering puberty at a younger age, pushing them to wonder about issues of sex and identity when some of us wish they were still riding bikes and playing tag. This need to find answers sooner also has an effect on their reading interests..."
Are we surprised? We have birthed children who were read to while still in the womb. Headphones were placed on mom's bellies so fetuses could learn to love Mozart. They have watched "Baby Einstein" videos and Dora the Explorer from infancy, so that they will be prepared for school and also be multilingual before we dare brag about them in Pilates' class.
We place them in K-3 classes at our local schools, and insist they know their alphabet before they are promoted to K-4. They are required to read on a 2nd grade level (compared to 25 years ago) before they can "graduate" from Kindergarten. We award $100,000 to a home video where the 3 year old can recognize and name all 30 some odd presidents; we place on ESPN the Spelling Bee finals where a 6th grader spells the most ungodly word I have ever heard of (and fully intend to NEVER use in daily conversation!). We insist they wear clothes from Baby Gap and Abercrombie for Kids, have their ears pierced at 6 weeks of age, and be at the top of their game at tennis, dance, and violin, all before they reach junior high.
They take computer classes in 1st grade and we applaud their intelligence. They surf the internet by age 7, and we insist they teach us, as parents, how to surf as well. They are pushed... and pushed...and pushed...to achieve higher, be smarter.
We wanted our children to skip childhood, apparently. Or else why would we insist they used the correct terms "penis", "vagina", and "masturbate"? What ever happened to the good ol' days of the "wee-wee" and the "hoo-hoo"? I still use those terms myself!!! And don't get me started on the "M" word...
"GROW UP!"
We have given them this message, both verbally and non-verbally, from before they were born. So, it only makes since we need to accommodate their adult-like interests in literature, and save classics like "Old Yeller" for nursery rhymes and sing-a-longs...
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