Do Something Worth Writing About

Teach children the true meaning of courage and bravery.

Benjamin Franklin is often credited with the quip, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing”. Whether these are his original words or the words of another wise sage, they could not be more relevant or applicable than they are in our current culture. 

I love country music and the themes that run through it, with a few exceptions. The other day when a song came on by a contemporary female country singer, I told my son to skip it. We agreed that these songs all shared a commonality of little interest and demonstrated a lack of creativity. Unlike great female country singers like Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, and Loretta Lynn, today’s female country artists tend to center their songs on the men they date, sleep with, and get hurt by (cheated on). At some point, you would think they would come to question their taste in men or their dating tactics. Regardless, if your tumultuous dating life is the most interesting or “challenging” thing you have faced, your song lyrics will not be that interesting.

This brings me to the topic of books for children and young adults. Once upon a time, books were written about knights slaying dragons, orphans overcoming adversity in a cold, harsh world, and adventurous explorers setting out on unknown voyages to discover new lands. The authors of these books wanted children to see and understand that everyone faces challenges and fears, but courage can overcome those, and the result is worth the struggle. Heroes, heroines, and great leaders are born out of adversity and gain wisdom and some great stories along the journey.

Unfortunately, it seems many authors of children’s books today have different notions of what constitutes adversity, courage, and great stories. They also seem to have a distorted idea of what is considered “interesting”. For one author, it was his experience with oral sex with his friend in fourth grade. For another, it was his adolescent/teenage sexual encounters with other boys. Still, another author describes neglectful parents, inadequate guidance, and unanswered questions leading to confusion about identity and sexuality. Many other like-minded authors are writing books that are filling the shelves of bookstores, libraries, and schools right now, and they are all centered on one theme–sexuality.

Not only are most of these books extremely explicit and inappropriate for children, but they also lead children to believe their sexuality or gender identity makes them interesting, brave, or courageous. It does none of the above. Teaching children to reduce themselves to something so carnal is a travesty and an injustice. 

While the publishers continue to push out these contemporary, often poorly-written books with themes of bogus bravery and courage, thousands of beautifully-written old tales that truly depict those themes are still circulating and inspiring young people every day. Parents, teachers, librarians, and bookstore owners can play a tremendous role by intentionally choosing or promoting these books for young readers. We must purposefully show our children what Franklin meant by “doing something worth writing,” and maybe someday they will write something worth reading.