Feeding the Mind: Guarding Children from Twaddle
In a world overflowing with noise and distraction, our children’s minds are constantly fed — but not always nourished. True wisdom doesn’t come from endless amusement or empty stories; it springs from truth, beauty, and goodness. This post invites us to reflect on what truly fills our children’s hearts and how the stories we offer shape their hunger for wisdom that nourishes the soul.
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:14 NKJV)
Charlotte Mason's Warning
Charlotte Mason called meaningless, shallow writing twaddle — and she warned that it dulls both heart and mind. In an age of noise and distraction, her words still ring true. God calls us to feed our children on wisdom, not foolishness. When stories lack truth or purpose, they may fill time, but they fail to nourish the soul. What we place before a child shapes what they learn to love.
To understand how language itself shapes thought and faith, visit my post The Power of Words.
The Danger of Shallow Reading
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine... but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.” (2 Timothy 4:3 NKJV)
That warning applies just as much to books as it does to sermons. When children feed constantly on amusement but rarely on reflection, their hearts grow restless and their discernment weakens. Twaddle starves the soul. It offers constant stimulation but no sustenance. As Mason wrote, 'Children must have worthy thoughts to feed on.'
Stillness restores the heart’s appetite for truth and reflection — a theme I explore in The Gift of Stillness.
Empty Calories for the Mind
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2 NKJV)
Empty reading is like empty calories — it fills but does not nourish. The more a child consumes shallow stories, the less they hunger for truth. But living books — those rich in moral imagination and beauty — awaken the soul’s appetite for the Word of God. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV)
Good books, like good fruit, bear nourishment that lasts — a truth I share more deeply in Harvest of the Heart
The Fruit of Wisdom
“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.” (Proverbs 2:10–11 NKJV)
Living books breathe wisdom into a child’s heart. They model discernment, courage, compassion, and faith — the very traits that guard young minds from shallowness. When a child learns to love what is noble and true, their heart becomes protected. Their thoughts are trained toward goodness, and their soul grows steady and strong.
Explores how stories shape lasting character in A Legacy of Light
Children Deserve the Best
Charlotte Mason once wrote, “Children have a right to the best we possess.”
When we fill their shelves with stories that honor truth, beauty, and virtue, we are not just educating — we are forming souls. “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14–15 NKJV)
To choose what our children read is to choose what kind of thoughts and dreams will shape their hearts. Let us not feed them twaddle, but truth — the kind that nourishes both mind and spirit.
Guiding Hearts and Minds — Together
As parents and educators, we have the sacred responsibility to offer children literature that nourishes both intellect and soul. When we replace shallow distractions with meaningful stories, we give our children the gift of discernment and delight in God’s truth.
If you’d like guidance in selecting high-quality, faith-filled literature for your child or want to cultivate a home environment of thoughtful learning, I would be honored to help. Together, we can build learning experiences that strengthen both the mind and the heart.
Together we can guide children to the truth the Lord has placed before us.
