I've always found that younger people look up to people older than them. Consider using a similar lens of analysis as "Male/Female Gaze": I would think that the equivalent "Child's gaze" would naturally be focused on other young people that are just older enough to have new, exciting things that the readers are looking forward to experiencing and are also still relatable to the reader. I don't think Ms. Manager should discount that too much. For a brief example, when I was in elementary or middle school, the number 1 thing I wanted to watch movies about were high school aged people living with the freedom that I wished I could have. I would think this pattern is true for a lot of young people, but I don't really know any so IDK,. What do you think?
I love this idea of "Child's gaze", because that's absolutely real but less talked about as the "Female/Male Gaze." Just the term alone helps me understand a lot even though this is the first time of me encountering. So thank you! I, and I'm sure Ms. Manager, don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that Young Readers have a lot of books centered around older main protagonists. However, I wonder how often kids and those who are younger than me are pushed to think about the future. How High School will be? How having their first kiss? Even adult content can be centered in Young Readers book. I even think some can get kind of grisly. And although there is no "right" time to introduce more older subjects to Young Readers, it doesn't entirely help kids to live in the present, does it? Or at the very least, Young Readers do have problems of their own, and if there is less and less people writing books about how to solve or giving any solutions at all, then what do they have? Nothing. They have to ignore or deal until they are in High School or Middle school until books are centered around that age. I do think there is not enough attention on the mental health of those in elementary and barely in middle school. And books can help with that type of health. There is no one size fix all. But, wouldn't you think, as you said you wanted the freedom that supposedly highschoolers have, if a book showcased the freedom Young Readers do have, wouldn't you feel less like you're missing out, less trapped? Because Young Readers do have things that adults and even highschoolers want. But if books don't showcase those things or just keep making older protagonists, then it's hard to see what you have. It's hard to feel content. Especially when I think they actually have a lot to be content with. And once they do start feeling they are happy with where they are as a Young Person, maybe they can focus on other things instead of the future. And maybe those things can be good and beneficial to their families and mankind. But we're getting real meta here. LOVE the comment :3
I've always found that younger people look up to people older than them. Consider using a similar lens of analysis as "Male/Female Gaze": I would think that the equivalent "Child's gaze" would naturally be focused on other young people that are just older enough to have new, exciting things that the readers are looking forward to experiencing and are also still relatable to the reader. I don't think Ms. Manager should discount that too much.
For a brief example, when I was in elementary or middle school, the number 1 thing I wanted to watch movies about were high school aged people living with the freedom that I wished I could have. I would think this pattern is true for a lot of young people, but I don't really know any so IDK,. What do you think?
I love this idea of "Child's gaze", because that's absolutely real but less talked about as the "Female/Male Gaze." Just the term alone helps me understand a lot even though this is the first time of me encountering. So thank you!
I, and I'm sure Ms. Manager, don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that Young Readers have a lot of books centered around older main protagonists. However, I wonder how often kids and those who are younger than me are pushed to think about the future. How High School will be? How having their first kiss? Even adult content can be centered in Young Readers book. I even think some can get kind of grisly. And although there is no "right" time to introduce more older subjects to Young Readers, it doesn't entirely help kids to live in the present, does it? Or at the very least, Young Readers do have problems of their own, and if there is less and less people writing books about how to solve or giving any solutions at all, then what do they have? Nothing. They have to ignore or deal until they are in High School or Middle school until books are centered around that age.
I do think there is not enough attention on the mental health of those in elementary and barely in middle school. And books can help with that type of health. There is no one size fix all.
But, wouldn't you think, as you said you wanted the freedom that supposedly highschoolers have, if a book showcased the freedom Young Readers do have, wouldn't you feel less like you're missing out, less trapped? Because Young Readers do have things that adults and even highschoolers want. But if books don't showcase those things or just keep making older protagonists, then it's hard to see what you have. It's hard to feel content. Especially when I think they actually have a lot to be content with. And once they do start feeling they are happy with where they are as a Young Person, maybe they can focus on other things instead of the future. And maybe those things can be good and beneficial to their families and mankind.
But we're getting real meta here.
LOVE the comment :3