So, this is what happened. A few years ago I bought my kid a book, Peter's Poofect Pet, by Tina Powel. It was an impulse buy and turned out to be one of her favorites. The story is all about this boy that wanted a pet but his parents had issues with the whole idea. So, instead of accepting his parent's wishes, he devised a plan to overcome the challenge.
He figured that if he can address their key concerns, he could get his way. This is exactly what he sets about doing. Well, the problem is that he uses a few lies to get his way. The bigger problem is that apparently, he is able to outsmart his parents, scientists, the mayor and her staff, and all the curious people from everywhere, simply by propelling poo into his neighbor's back yard. Brilliant plan, no?
I have always had my reservations about the message this story was sending but let it go because, well, it was in a book and because she seemed to enjoy the story so much.
So, here is the scoop. She's a clever girl is a bit of an information sponge. She drinks in ideas and them looks for ways to apply them. So, the main message she took away from this book is that parents are not obstacles to getting what you want. They are speed bumps.
Adults, in general, are shortsighted and easy to fool. All you have to do is tell enough lies and then get your dog a new name tag. Then, all will be good. Obviously, this is the right message to be teaching to kids through books.
You see, the problem is that modern technology means that anybody who wants to publish a book can. It isn't tough and there isn't anybody to tell you what a thoroughly bad idea it is, or how socially irresponsible it is.
It isn't cute and it isn't a great teaching tool. It has now become a very difficult lesson to (un)teach my lovely little girl, who is convinced that she is now a "bad girl" because she has really taken to this idea of lying to get what she wants. Thank you so much, Tina Powel!
So, yes, this is a teachable moment. Teachable for me, as a parent, to listen to my gut and not assume that my kid will overlook the innate wrongness of the message and simply take it as innocent fun. Teachable for her, because now she has to listen to me drill in to her the message that I will not abide her negative self talk and that though lying is a bad thing to do, it does not make her a bad person. It simply proves that she is a bit too clever for her own good. That adults are not as stupid as the cartoon characters produced by Big Fat Pen. That if something feels wrong, it probably is, even though an adult wrote a book that seems to imply that if you are clever enough, you can get away with anything.
Just because anybody can self-publish a book for children does not mean that they, and the distributors of those books should not have any responsibility regarding the negative messages they are promoting. The store manager that said "sure, Tina, I'll sell your book here" has a responsibility to not put it on his shelves. I, as a parent, have a responsibility to not trust that just because it is a kids book it is an acceptable read. Tina, as the author, has a responsibility to understand that just because something is cute or funny does not absolve her of contributing to the degradation of our society.
