What a great piece!

My husband is a huge comic book nerd. This kind of stuff is what lights his brain up. I watched him go through Arkham Asylum. I think there's a huge point to finding what's good in the things around us. (Obviously, within reason. While the Saw movies may have an interesting plot line and a message about redemption, it's still no reason to put your kids in front of them.)

The thing I love about comic books that my husband had shown me is that they are all exaggerated versions of ourselves. Almost all comic book characters have a human trait that is blown out of proportion that help us relate to each other, relate to ourselves, and live through them. Batman? He's upset because of how his parents were wronged, and even though he has a lot of money and has it all, he still is bothered by the injustices taking place in Gotham. So what does he do? He grabs a cape and takes care of it. Hulk? Mr. Banner can't control his temper so he turns into a big green thing. Superman reflects our invisible nature in our minds and shows that while we may feel perfect, one small thing can kill us. Even the villains can be broken down the same way.

I love how simple it becomes when you take a close look at it. It helps me appreciate humanity.

Also, I feel particularly passionate about this kind of issue because I am not (or don't feel like I am) so far removed from when I was a kid with parents who had the same issues. Several of my friends had alarmist parents and would lock down the internet, the cable TV to be all Christian channels, and didn't allow them to go to movies because they would be supporting the devil. I just don't see how that is healthy or productive. It made me feel, personally, like those parents didn't trust us to use our own brains and any tiny of bit of dirt or badness and we would fly into the devil's arms willingly. 

Now, it's a bit different with your kids because I think they are younger than I was, but I admire how you are trying to help guide them and instruct them without banning everything. I think you have found a great balance between protecting and educating your children, but also letting them experience things for themselves. I don't think there's any harm in you being in the room to watch over, because you are still giving them their own space.

It's a touchy subject, and I'm not a parent yet so it will probably feel different once I have kidlets of my own, but for now, this is how I feel.

Thank you for writing! Great piece!