Little House books

[udonandbroth]

I love the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and I am actually reading them to my kids right now. The only thing is that we don't eat meat and all the slaughtering, hunting and meat-packing is kind of making me think twice about whether I should be reading them to my kids. Plus there sure is a whole lot of 'whipping' going on through out the series. Otherwise I think they are great and pretty wholesome. I can't decide if I should leave the offensive parts out or in... I don't want to overprotect my kids: I mean this is what life was really like but at the same time I am not sure how I feel about reading them a chapter about the making of headcheese and lard candles :P What do you guys think?

[lilyka]

we startd when my girls were the same age as yours. we put them away for a few more years until we could discuss stuff like that. anotehr tricky part is the Native American relations. it was better when my dd could think through the complicated relationships and sort it all (Why was mom scared? why were th Indians mad?)

[LiamnEmma]

Well, from my perspective, I have far more respect for a group of people who is thoughtful about their consumption in the way that the Ingalls family is, than those of us who pick up the "pretty" packages at the store. They never wasted--they used the skins, the bones, the feathers on the birds, etc. I imagine the idea of all the meat is gross, but from an environmental perspective, I think they were far more effecient and natural than, say, I am. Does that make sense? The whippings went over my head as a kid and I can't say I was whipped. I think people process that as necessary. I'm not sure what to think about the relations with Native Americans though, I have unsettled feelings about that too; the tenor in the world I grew up in was different than it is today...but, as a friend of mine says, "You talk about racism, race relations, etc., whenever it comes up" and what better time than during such readings?