I have an essay in the spring issue of Brain,Child Magazine called "Inappropriate for Children." It explores why we (as parents, as a society) deem certain kinds of art and literature inappropriate for children, and whether we need to rexplore that. I write from the perspectives of both a parent and a school librarian. The essay is not online but you can find it at some bookstores and newsstands or you can buy it online at www.brainchildmag.com.
Here is an excerpt (but if you want to read how the story ends you've got to buy a copy. :-) )
We have a huge book in the library, a gorgeous book, called Great Masters. It contains page after page of classic paintings, but it only takes about 5.6 seconds for an industrious second-grade boy to zero in on the nudes. I can tell it’s happened because two or three other boys hover around looking guilty. Inevitably, a girl approaches me to tell me the news.
“Ms. Jody,” she says, “Mark [name changed to protect the guilty] is looking at something inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate” is the new, supposedly judgment-free term that has replaced “dirty,” “naughty,” “mean,” and “obnoxious,” among other judgment-heavy modifiers. Kids today know that “inappropriate” is a very, very bad thing to be.
“Really? is it the classic paintings of the human body?”
“Yes!" She’s shocked that I know - and apparently approve - of such scandalous material in the library.
“Well,” I say as I move in the general direction of the art appreciators and talk loudly enough fot them to hear me, “there are probably some people would would look inappropriately at those paintings, but Mark is someone who appreciates art. He’s pretty sophisticated. He’s probably noticing the interesting colors and lighting that the artist used.”
