Censorship - not so black & white

My son brought home a permission slip for a book for his English class. The book is called "American Gods" and is written by Neil Gaiman, and Gaiman has won quite a few awards for his writing. However, the book contains "sexual encounters, graphic violence similar to crucifixion, and strong language throughout".  I have to admit that my first reaction was to be upset that my kid needs permission to read. He is almost 17 years old and a junior in high school. I cannot think of a book out there that I wouldn't let him read. I've always been very against censorship of any kind. My thinking is this: How can you expect people to make informed decisions and learn to think for themselves if you limit what information they have access to? So, of course, I signed the permission slip and returned it to my son.

Today, I thought about it some more and realized how much I've changed over the years. When I was my son's age, they had just started talking about using a rating system for music. It was during the time that people were boycotting Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Metallica and others. They were saying that this type of music promoted drugs, suicide and satanism...and this was the music I loved. I was very passionate about it, and no one was going to tell me what I could listen to, or read. I thought these people were idiots. They didn't understand, and wouldn't take the time to listen to find out what the music really was about. I was never going to be like that!

Fast forward many years to when my oldest son was little and just starting to find out what kind of music he liked. He wanted to listen to Rap: Eminem, Snoop Dog, Lil Bow Wow...stuff I didn't listen to at all. By this time, the rating/warning system was in place and I hated to admit it, but I was grateful for it. Now I knew which CD's contained explicit language or strong themes and it was helping me to decide what to let him listen to. After all, he was still little, only about 7 or 8 years old, and I didn't want him hearing the profanity or other things. Now we could buy clean versions of music - it was a compromise of sorts. He wasn't always happy about it, but he could still listen to some of what he wanted and I didn't have to sit and listen to hours of music that I could barely tolerate. That's when I realized that the issue wasn't nearly as black and white as I thought it was.  We have been using a rating system for years for movies, and while it isn't perfect, it's better than nothing. These systems have given me, as a parent, a better opportunity to learn with my son while still protecting him and not having to shelter him from everything.

So, is the permission slip a good thing? I looked the book up and read a summary of the plot and decided that it probably was. While I no longer limit what my son has access to, I could see why some parents might have a problem with this book and want their children to read something else. I believe that I have given my son the decision making skills to choose his own path, but I am also glad that I still know most of what is going on in his life. I do believe that this is a good book for him, as it is something that may challenge his thinking while keeping him interested. It's the kind of book I would choose for myself, and I do plan on reading it. But I've also realized that the permission slip is not the same thing as censorship - it's just giving an option and opening up dialog, which in my opinion is always a good thing.

Spring Fever

It's that time of year - when the weather turns warmer for a couple of days between snow storms and you start noticing the signs that spring is really on it's way. I love this time of year. Some years I really start to get "cabin fever" and cannot wait for spring to show up with all the new buds and daffodils and tulips and babies...but this year is different. I am excited that spring is coming. I see the signs everywhere: the grass is turning green underneath the snow, the trees are budding. But I do not feel impatient for full blown spring; I am willing to savor the slow changing from winter to spring.

We have had more of an actual winter here this year than we've had in many years, and I've really enjoyed it. It's been nice to see snow covering my lawn for weeks instead of a day. It reminds me of the winters we had when I was a kid where there was enough snow to build snow forts and tunnels and you could pretend to cross-country ski to the neighbors. I loved those winters, even when there was so much snow we had to dig out the front door and the neighbors would get together to dig out the roads. (I grew up in the country where side roads are not always plowed or even maintained at all.) And in reality, here in Colorado, we are in what is historically the snowiest month of the year.  I remember fondly being snowed in on my birthday, which almost always falls during Spring Break at the end of March. We are even known for getting big snows in April, which happened when my youngest was born 5 years ago, and we lost power for a week and had to go stay with my parents. We would get enough snow that the top of Pikes Peak was white more months than not...I've really missed that.

But I still love the transition from winter into spring. One of my friends on facebook talked about going to a ranch today to watch the calves being born. This is one of my absolute favorite things about this time of year. I commute 35 miles to work each way and the majority of it is on a rural highway through many pastures. This time of year is when you see the new baby cows playing in the fields, chasing and head butting each other. I can literally feel the new energy in the air as Mother Earth wakes from her hibernation...it is refreshing and invigorating. Soon, the birds will be singing and we'll see the first robins chattering to each other on the top of my chain link fence. The daffodils will be poking up soon, and we can start the planting of the vegetable garden. (We always either start way too late or way too early - I think this will be one of the early years.)

My husband is feeling it this year, too. We went to Lowe's to buy tools and spent most of the time wandering the gardening section, picking out seeds and planning the next outdoor project. We raked and cleaned the yard today; he watered trees and tried to start the rototiller. The puppies and Matt ran and played and enjoyed the wonderful weather together.

So, yes, I do have "Spring Fever". But this year, I've decided to enjoy the little bits as it comes because I don't want to miss anything.