EL JamesYou probably wouldn't peg E.L. James as a prude, but here it is. The author of the phenomena that is the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy admitted to Katie Couric this week that she would let her teenage sons read her steamy novels ... but she wouldn't be able to look them in the eyes afterward.

I can't exactly say I blame her; she did write the book responsible for sending sales of ben-wa balls sky high. I'm kind of hoping my daughter is out of the house before she finds out what those are so I don't have to explain how to use them. But E.L. has just walked herself into a parenting trap that will suck you in quicker than quicksand.

If she's OK with her sons reading about sex, she's got to be OK with the inevitable follow up questions. You can't be a lucy goosey parent when it comes to your kids reading "questionable" books, then hide when they come to you to talk about it. That's when they need you most of all!

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It seems like the "cool parent" approach to let kids dabble in the adult world, to let them read books that are written for an older audience, watch movies that are rated R. But you have to ask yourself if you want to be the cool parent or the good parent.

I'm going to go for the latter, how about you?

That means getting really uncomfortable sometimes. Because the good parent has to balance out every one of those book readings and movie viewings with some direction for their kids. Maybe it's making a few comments on some particularly gruesome parts of the movie or maybe it's making yourself available to answer questions. We're the adults; that's our job.

I am not trying to slam E.L. James here. Her discomfort is understandable. If you're not uncomfortable about sex and your kids, you're doing it wrong. But she -- and parents who were thinking the same thing -- need to walk this line carefully. You can be uncomfortable and still be there for your kids when they need you.

And after they read Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely a time when your kids are going to need you. Check out what else E.L. had to say to Katie about her kids:

Do your teenagers read adult novels like Fifty Shades? Is it embarrassing for you?

 

Image via Katie Couric