And so, because of those beliefs (marriage and forever, etc...) and because I would be trying to instill those beliefs in my child, I wouldn't allow them to read nfic, while they were young and impressionable - and certainly not during their teenage years while their hormones are running wild and rampant.
I had to respond to this because I remember a similar argument being made, years and years ago, about why teenagers shouldn't be writing nfic and now it's a knee-jerk reaction for me
.
I "joined" FoLCdom at 18, but I'd been reading fanfic in other fandoms since I was 14 or so (Star Wars, Gargoyles, and Beauty and the Beast come to mind, but I'm sure there were others). If I recall correctly, most of them didn't restrict their nfic at all. Looking or not, I found plenty. (I'm not arguing that we shouldn't restrict ours-- especially because, as others have mentioned, Superman is an appealing character for kids. I'm just explaining what happened to me.)
And I'll admit, I was fascinated. I had a pretty open relationship with my parents in that I could ask them whatever I wanted and they would answer me, but that doesn't mean I always had the nerve to ask <g>. Nfic was hugely informative (if not always 100% accurate <g>). It gave me an outlet for my curiosity and my "wild and rampant" hormones, as it were <g>. It let me learn about sexuality and relationships without risk of emotional pain, pregnancy, STDs, etc. Nfic was safe. If I didn't like the story or the way the sex was handled, I could quit reading it. No pressure to do anything I wasn't ready for
.
And my choices of fandoms usually meant I was reading loving, consensual sex within committed relationships. So generally they reinforced the beliefs I already had-- that sex belonged in a loving, mature relationship (preferably marriage). And Lois and Clark nfic is among the safest there is.
Anyway, where I'm going with this is to say that there are worse things for a teenager to do sexually than reading fanfic. After a decade of fanfic reading, I consider myself a relatively well-adjusted, responsible, mature person. I tend to be pretty conservative when it comes to social behavior and sexual relationships. Nfic didn't hurt me in that aspect, or influence me to go out and act on all those confusing adolescent feelings.
Now, this isn't to say that when I have children of my own I won't be horrified at the idea of my little darlings thinking about sex and forbid them to surf the internet or watch television or go on dates until they're 35
But for now, in my admittedly naive 24-year-old opinion, I'd say there are definitely worse ways to learn about sex than L&C fic.
My 2 cents, anyway
Kaylle
