"Margaret" #fundie crossroad.to

[OPENING COMMENT FROM GADFLY: I really feel sorry for these folks, and especially their son. They are making a mountain out of a molehill about what this boy likes to read, and probably driving him away from them. Instead of condemning his interests as occultic, why don't they talk about it with him and understand why he likes reading fantasy and science fiction? There is nothing wrong with an interest in speculative fiction!]

My son, turning 16 today, is an intelligent, bright young man, but has developed an insatiable appetite for all things fantastical. He started out being interested in Pokemon cards 5 years ago until I looked into it and felt it to be evil where upon he got rid of them. He then read all the Chronicles of Narnia and the Hobbit and everything Tolkein ever wrote ( a number of times) I encouraged his reading and saw no problem initially with Tolkein. He has moved onto 2 other series....books by R.A. Salvatore and Dragon Lance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I feel uncomfortable with these last authors and have said so to him. He has always read voraciously but in the past 18 months has read almost entirely within the Fantasy or Science Fiction genre. I have tried to encourage him to shift his tastes!

Running concurrently to this he has played Runescape on the web to the point where he exhibited addictive behaviour. We have passwords on the computer and have restricted access sometimes for weeks at a time. We have banned Runescape and he has now developed a strong interest in Warhammer and has been painting his first "army" for hours everyday getting ready to start playing in real campaigns. He is now playing a game called Pristontale. I am feeling punch-drunk!!!

...

My question really is how much can and should we be doing with a child of this age. He will readily engage me in intellectual discussion and challenge my thinking and then this can degenerate into angry outbursts. I often feel that I have to be controlling to lick this thing and that is not what I want to be. I am very concerned about him.

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Confused?

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