Hi Barb--I kept "Our Bodies, Our Selves" around when my stepdaughters were around to balance out the novels I had handy too. I gave up lecturing, advising, commenting to family & friends about their reading material, much less strangers!

So funny. The site rejected my comment. I think because I had the word s*x in it. This is about s*xy books, isn't it? Anyway, I wouldn't tell a young person I didn't know what to read. You read your "book under your mattress," and you came out okay. Didn't you?

My oldest niece has started wanting to read my romance books. My sister says as long as I approve what she reads, she and her husband are ok. I just make sure there isn't too much s*x, of course she is 17 and most of the movies she sees have more than the books we both read. Plus she is still into the YA books(me too). Although, I must say that if the Gossip Girl books are anything like the tv show, my books are pretty tame.

I hated to read as a child and the schools and my parents tried every age appropriate book they could find. When I was twelve my Aunt gave me what my mother called a "trashy romance novel" and I haven't stopped reading since. I was the only kid who's mother tried to STOP her from reading. :)

As a clerk in a library, I get to see what EVERYONE checks out. Policy is to never comment on anything, pretend we aren't noticing, and sometimes that's tough (regardless, I'll often ask a reader with one of my favorite series books in hand if she's read the other two first!) Occasionally I'm disturbed at what a teen might check out to read, but then I see the movies she's checking out to take home too. Lost cause; that's mom's job. What disturbs me more is when a parent accompanying a 10 - 15 year old has to tell me the child's name, birthdate, and address (though I'm speaking to the child) because a)the child won't speak up for him/herself, b) the child doesn't know the answers to these difficult questions, or c) the child can’t get a word in edgewise. That depresses me no end. But that’s not the issue here today, is it? Thanks for letting me gripe.

Barbara, I never restricted my kids' reading, but I did/do keep an eye on it, and if there's something I felt/feel is questionable, I've made sure I read it so we can discuss it. Holly

ok, so you can't write s*x on the comments. *sigh* I've told my girls they can't read my erotic romances until they're 18. Oldest will be 18 in Oct. I'm SO NOT ready for that. Probably more of increasing her eeeewwwhhh factor. She and baby cringe when we have frank discussions about s*x over the dinner table. Think that's one of those, I don't want to think about my parents having s*x. LOL My first naughty book was a book my Mom said I couldn't read. That was simply an invitation to sneak peeks. I read that book standing at the bookcase. LOL It was called Caravan (male writer ???) I followed it with Woodiwiss.

I discovered Jean M. Auel on my parents' bookshelves at age ten or so. When they found out I'd started reading Clan of the Cave Bear they requested that I either a) skip the graphic s*x scene when I got to it, or b) talk to them about it. Of course I plowed right through it and pretended like I hadn't (what ten-year-old invites s*x talks with her parents?). I think knowing my parents were aware and wanted to discuss was enough; I understood the gravity of the scene, and don't feel I was scarred in any way.

Well, you can read the reviews for YA novels in PW and some of them are very edgy and explicit--and of course they're main characters ARE teenagers. I think teens should have the opportunity to read whatever they choose--they can always decide it's too much for them or too icky or whatever and not finish the book. Same thing adults do. I'm much more offended by the violent videogames that teen boys seem to like so much--and according to so many surveys, they don't read!

Well, you can read the reviews for YA novels in PW and some of them are very edgy and explicit--and of course they're main characters ARE teenagers. I think teens should have the opportunity to read whatever they choose--they can always decide it's too much for them or too icky or whatever and not finish the book. Same thing adults do. I'm much more offended by the violent videogames that teen boys seem to like so much--and according to so many surveys, they don't read!

Yes, my 15-yr old reads books with s*x. It's everywhere. I try to make sure that it has a "lesson" in it. Most of the ones I've seen her read do, and most are of the ilk of "wrong person &/or wrong time". And from what I can tell, she's learned from it.

I was careful sending books and DVDs to my sister's children, because she was raising them in a more charismatic religion than we grew up in. Her daughter has never cared for reading for pleasure, despite being extremely bright. Her brother, on the other hand, is an omnivore, reads anything, and was the one pinching his mother's romances. I tried until he was sixteen to do some slight censorship of the fantasy and SF books I sent (I write that stuff...) but after sixteen, I just warned my sister, and she said he was good at talking about things he didn't understand, or thought weird. He reads manga, too, and has seen more female bodies than I ever did at that age. My mother told the librarians I could check out from the adult section. I was about 12, perhaps? Reading on mostly an adult level, but sometimes missing s*xual subplots. I wanted story and characters -- s*x scenes felt contrived and slowed the book. I chewed through the mysteries, the SF and the Tolkien. A man once told me that he liked a book I wrote by saying "Women write better s*x than men." (I'm adopting the * habit, thus keeping the blog flowing...) ;^)

Okay, at the risk of stirring up trouble, I am a firm believer in letting kids read just about anything, including s*xy romances. One of the big things in my missionary family was reading the Bible from cover to cover. Yet the passage that stuck in my mind as a child was when a woman is given to a mob to be raped (to prevent the mob from raping a man), dies as a result, and her lover cuts her up into 12 pieces and sends the pieces to all the tribes of Israel. I read that at 11. I never forgot that chapter of Judges (clearly, since it still sticks in my mind). So it seems to me that nothing in a romance novel is any worse than that. In fact, I would venture that it's far healthier for a young woman to read about s*x as an act of love than as an act of pure violence. Also, if you know what your children are reading, then you can answer their questions and guide them into how to understand things. Of course I have no daughters and my son is severely disabled and can't read, so maybe I'd feel differently if my personal situation was otherwise. :-)

I was eight when I read my first Harlequin Presents, which had s*x (but of the very non-explicit variety (thrusting thighs)). I hid them, too. Now I have a five-year-old daughter, and I do question whether I want her reading the more modern HPs at eight. I definitely wouldn't let her read one of the books that I write -- but, perhaps, a less explicit book, if she expressed curiosity? Definitely. I will monitor what she reads, so that if there are any questions about s*x, I can answer them. I agree with Sabrina that it seems much healthier to read about s*x as love than violence ... but at the same time, to let her know that s*x does not necessarily equal love, so that she doesn't have too many misconceptions about the act.

I confess... I read my first romance at the age of 12--purloined from my mother's stash. It was called Oriana, and the author had a great comic timing, and some talent with the tragic as well. I really think that was too young; or at least without additional guidance from an adult. My daughter? If I could get her to read anything I would be just tickled purple. Put down that video game controller, girl! At this point I would buy her Penthouse if only she would read. Of course, I would be on hand for reasonable explanation. Just my thought.

I confess that I too read some racy stuff when I was 12. But, I think I turned out ok too.

I don't think there could be anything worse in books then there is at the movies and on tv, so I say, let the kids read and discuss it with them.

I'm uncomfortable with some of the stuff out there for kids both video and written, but I'm hoping their parents take an interest and at least pay attention to what's going on.

I found my first really dirty book in a dumpster behind a grocery store... Ok, not. I actually found it in a "toy" store. I thought, "Wow! They write books about this?" And, like you said, it was no romance. :o My youngest niece is only 6.5. My eldest is nearly 17 and has been reading filtered romances since she was 14. She didn't like the s*xy parts so her mama didn't give those to her. Now when my mother handed me a book and grinned, "You're gonna like this one." I knew we'd hit a new point in our relationship. LOL

Well Barbara: I found a copy of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" with my husband's business records (or maybe he confiscated this from one of our 9 children--maybe that's why we had 9 children!!), so we both had some lively discussions about that!

I read "Fanny Hill" when I was 8; tons of dirty joke books when I was in junior high, and the "Kuma Sutra" at 16. I thought Mom was too clueless to know what "Fanny Hill" was about until decades later I heard her discussing it with a neighbor. Dad was ok with the joke books, but told me to read them inside the cottage (we were on vacation), so the boys in the neighboring cottages wouldn't see me reading them. Let the kids read what they want. It's the mix of the good, bad, dirty and uplifting that will help them form their opinions and ideals. They may not be your opinions and ideals, nor even the ones you wish they'd have, but with too many restrictions, they'll never have enough intact to form ANY novel ideas or opinions.

I'm a teens myself and according to mom, it's okay to read novels with s*x scenes so I guess it's fine with me. I think I've read tons of it, but mom said that I should be open-minded towards s*x or something like that. I mean that's my point of view, different people have different perspectives.

dont let her read that garbage instead bring her over to my place and let me read it to her (naked)

i wish a slutty soccer milf would read smut to me in bed im 16 and 1/2 and my weenis is 10 1/2 inches long my moms friend loves it!