Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze River?

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  • Alicia Hart
    Participant

    My dd11 and I are reading this book together and really enjoying it.  There is just one thing that is sort of bothering me…..it seems like Young Fu, the son, is continually being proved right and his mother (he has no father) looks, often times as the foolish one. 

    Any thoughts about this?  How would you handle this?  Would you continue to read this story?

    Any that have read this book to the end?

    ServingwithJoy
    Participant

    Those story elements bother me….although I haven’t read this particular book. Since you have already started it, could you discuss it with your daughter and see what she thinks about the disrespect? Ask her how Young Fu could respond in a respectful way to his mother. I think if you are in the middle of it, I would use it as a teaching opportunity to talk about respect for parents and why it is important.

    Kind of ironic that you would find that in a book set in the Asian culture, where respect for elders is really one of the foundational tenants of their society. Makes me wonder if this is a western ‘take’ on Asian culture.

    Alicia Hart
    Participant

    He actually is very very respectful of her – ultra respectful – which is a good aspect of the book but whenever they disagree on something he normally, thus far, is shown to be the one that is wiser and more knowlegeable.

    ServingwithJoy
    Participant

    Ah – ok. Sorry I read that wrong! Is it too subtle to discuss it with her or is it going over her head? At 11yo I am betting you could have some good convos about how the mother is being portrayed here and how that lines up with God’s word?

    Of course, if you are feeling very uncomfortable with it and don’t feel she is ‘getting’ your point, you can switch to another book. If you continue to pray about it and don’t feel peace to continue, then I would drop it, personally.

    “All things are permissable, but not all things are beneficial” 1 Cor. 10:23

    Alicia Hart
    Participant

    Thanks for your input.Smile

    My husband made an interesting comment about this book last night.

    He said that one positive aspect about Young Fu continuing to show respect to his mother is that it gives an example of children showing respect to an  authority figures even when it seems like that authority doesn’t “deserve” that respect.

    Just another thought.  I think that we are going to stay with the book and just use it as discussions starters such as what does the Bible say about this?  etc.

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