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Real News For Real New Mexicans.
The Chile Wire with Abe Baldonado. Hello, and welcome back to The Chile Wire. It is Chile Wire Wednesday, and I am delighted to introduce my guest, Andrea Cloak, this week to talk about some pretty serious stuff, what it's like being a parent in 2025, but also some of the books that are circulating in our public libraries, potentially our school libraries. But I am glad to have Andre here. Andreea, you're a new parent to a one year old, and so I'm sure there's tons of things happening now as a parent and as a mom that you're concerned about.
Abe Baldonado:But I want you to just introduce yourself to our viewers, and we'll dive into some of the things that you've learned about recently.
Andrea Cloak:Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. Like you said, I have a 17 old at home, a little girl. And so before having her, my husband and I, born and raised in New Mexico, we plan to stay here.
Andrea Cloak:It's our home. Our families are here. And it's really important for us that we participate and like cultivate the environment that we want to raise a family in. And so being on this podcast today and talking about what we're going to talk about, I'm very passionate about. So happy to be here.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:No. Thank you. And I think we both agree as, you know, New Mexicans. We love this state. Yes.
Abe Baldonado:We want to see this state thrive. And I think we have frustrations with some of the directions that the state has been going in. But I'm glad you stayed here, you kept your family here, and little Sofia is gonna grow up here. Yes. What's it like being a parent in 2025?
Andrea Cloak:You know, it's so interesting because there's so many things that, I mean, she's 17 old, so like I'm not, I'm new to We're new to this world and there's so many things that you didn't think about prior to having kids or that didn't affect you prior to having kids that your eyes are just open when it comes to, you know, taking her out into the world and the things that she's exposed to. You know, I'm a hybrid stay at home mom. I work and I stay at home. And my husband and I have felt like we don't want anybody else to raise our kids. Like, that's like very important And for so then even thinking about when it comes time for her to go to preschool or kindergarten and thinking about where we're gonna take her and dropping her off and keep, like, having other people be in charge of her.
Andrea Cloak:You know, I don't wanna shelter her.
Abe Baldonado:Right.
Andrea Cloak:However, I want to know what's going on in the, you know, facilities and institutions that I'm entrusting to take care of my daughter. You know?
Abe Baldonado:Right. Exactly. And, you know, I'm glad you brought that up, Jerria, because, you know, I'm not a parent yet, and my wife and I look forward to being parents. But there's a unique perspective that you bring as a parent who is now living this and experiencing it. And on that note, talking about our public institutions, you were recently made aware about a book that was found in one of our public libraries here in Albuquerque, and it's titled You Know Sex.
Abe Baldonado:And, you know, before we dive into this, I just wanna give a viewer discretion. It is pretty graphic. The conversation that we're gonna have right now about the details of this book are are very graphic. And also, you're watching on YouTube, we are gonna show images of this book because I I really believe that there there are people out there who will tell you it's not that serious. Or Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:No, you're exaggerating. Yeah. And that is not the case. And, you know, I had a private conversation with my wife about this. And, you know, and she asked, you know, is it just a reproductive book?
Abe Baldonado:Is it just about the reproduction sis reproductive system? And, you know, I started we started leaning into it, and then we I showed her the and she's like, oh, wow. Yeah. No. A whole new level.
Abe Baldonado:And so for those of you who don't know, it's a book titled You Know Sex. It it really starts off by saying that it begins with bodies, gender, puberty, but then it adds other things. And that's where I think we get a little bit of, you know, what this book really is about, and it's concerning. It's targeted from the author. It says it's fifth grade through ninth grade.
Abe Baldonado:But, Drea, tell us your story about how you learned of this and where you actually found it because I don't think it was in a section geared towards No. Fifth graders through ninth graders. And I'm I'm already a little concerned that it was even geared towards fifth graders Yeah. Just from what I know.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. So last week, a good friend of mine texted me, and she had taken her kids to the library. She has, I want to say, like, nine year old, a seven year old, and a six year old. Those ages could be wrong, but she was, it was definitely her six year old that she was looking for a book for. And she had pulled the book off of the shelf, whatever book they went to the library for, her daughter was with her.
Andrea Cloak:And she turned around and she saw this book titled You Know Sex next to, it was in the children's non fiction section, it was next to a book about meeting your preschool teacher and going to school. So that's not fifth grade language. Right. Although the book, excuse me, but we're getting graphic here, it talks about anal sex, it talks about masturbation. My friend was up in arms about it and super upset because here she is with her kids at a public library.
Andrea Cloak:And I understand that, you know, we talked about like there's freedom of speech and they have the freedom to publish those books, but I think that it should come with some sort of censor or be in a specific section that has a warning or a disclaimer of like, these are graphic books. You know, this isn't for a preschooler who, what, preschool's three years old Yeah. Four years old to see. And then how, I don't know. I just am, I think we should try to keep our children as innocent as possible for as long as possible and they deserve that childhood, their childhood.
Andrea Cloak:And, you know, I'm not big with co parenting with the government, as I So like to I understand that those books need to be accessed Mhmm. At the appropriate time. However, when you're talking about anal sex, when you're talking about masturbation for fifth graders even,
Abe Baldonado:I don't know.
Andrea Cloak:No. I I can't.
Abe Baldonado:I'm not even I'm not even a parent. And I'm appalled at what I've Yeah. Heard and what I've learned of this. And it it is a concern of mine when I think about, you know, potentially having kids and, you know, the world that they're gonna grow up in and this are the things that are out there.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:And I think what scares me the most being a former educator is that these could potentially be in our public schools.
Andrea Cloak:Oh, a
Abe Baldonado:100%. You could potentially have an educator using this book to teach students and having these conversations with students. And I I really believe that these are conversations that are meant for home. They're meant for the family. They're meant for parents A 100%.
Abe Baldonado:To have with their children. And I can't imagine a parent like yourself going to a public library with Soph who's 17 and reading to her this book. Yeah. Know, that that's not what she wants. She wants to hear about unicorns and Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:You know Barley's. Barley's, dogs. Yes. You know? But you brought up a good point about the sensitivity of the mind of children that age.
Abe Baldonado:And I think of John Locke's blank slate theory, you know, that we are born with a blank slate, and everything that we learn is through our environment and through things that are presented to us. And I think if that theory is to be true, we should be very concerned because clearly there's an environment out there that is trying to push an agenda like this for children to talk about, you know you know, trans or, you know, LGBTQ issues at a very young age. And, again, I I think those are conversations that should be had at home Yeah. Not with strangers and definitely should not be pushed or disguised in a pre K section of our libraries.
Andrea Cloak:No. And I think parents are losing so many rights as it is in our state and in other states across The US and we need to fight for those because we need we need to fight for our children, you know, because it you know, it's up to me and my husband what our daughter learns, you know, and what she's exposed to. And, you know, people ask us already what school, like, are we going to send her to or what, you know, what school district are you in or are you going to do private school? You're to do homeschool. And it's crazy that I even have to think about that right now.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. But I am, you know? And and again, it didn't affect me prior to having kids and now it's, you know, my eyes are wide open and I'm doing my research in what's gonna be best for our family and our children. Absolutely. Yeah.
Andrea Cloak:So again, I see the point, like I see the public library having or providing access to those kinds of books, I think they need a warning. I think they need a disclaimer. I think they need to be separate so that our children aren't just browsing the shelves and finding it on their own and then asking questions and then their innocence being taken away. And you can frame your answer to your kids obviously to protect them, but like why do we want to expose them so early? Like, what's, why is that the agenda?
Abe Baldonado:Right. What's the purpose?
Andrea Cloak:And that's what it feels like to me as a parent is that that innocence is getting taken away. They're trying to expose our kids earlier and earlier to, you know, adult conversations.
Abe Baldonado:Inappropriate things. Yes. I mean, it's it's for a fifth grader, I think.
Andrea Cloak:Or things that are confusing to
Abe Baldonado:them. Yeah.
Andrea Cloak:Absolutely. That they don't they can't wrap their mind around. Right.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. Even if you explain it to them in the most of layman's terms Yeah. They're still not going to understand because they're still developing Yeah. You know, between fifth grade and, you know, I taught a seventh grade class, and you see the maturity levels. If your child's in high school and you think, hey, this book's probably maybe something I could share with my Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:My kid and have a conversation about because now they're learning these things or, you know, they're being exposed to them in some sorts of ways. And maybe this book will help me have a conversation with them. Okay. Yeah. But that's your decision as a parent.
Abe Baldonado:Totally. If you wanna use this book, then great. But, again, to go to find out that it was in a pre K section that, you know, I can't imagine any parent saying, I wanna read this to my two year old or my three year old.
Andrea Cloak:No.
Abe Baldonado:And this podcast is probably gonna ruffle some feathers. And I I expect people are going to say, Abe, it's not that bad. You're just attacking, you know, an author or a book that, you know, is probably not as obscene as you say it is. And we're, you know, we're we're putting up the graphics here. You can see for yourself that Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:You know, they and it's also it's a cartoon book. It it's more than
Andrea Cloak:a lot of explaining.
Abe Baldonado:Right. Well and I I think of the colors, the figures that are used. You you're trying to lure kids to be like, what is this book? Yeah. You know?
Abe Baldonado:It's kind of like the cereal box. You know? That's what I look at it as as is that, oh, you're trying to gear it towards very young children Yeah. And expose them to this content. And then, you know, if they pick it up, if a parent for some reason is not around them and they start asking questions, well, now you're put in a position where I have to have a conversation with a very young child about what they were just exposed to in that book.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. I have friends who have older children, and they use books to explain, you know, sex or things of the sort to their kids, and they have bought multiple books. Like, I'm thinking of a friend specifically who has bought multiple books, some of which have been Christian based, and they've received them, looked through them themselves, and it's like, I'm not comfortable sharing this much information with So my it goes back to the point that this needs to be personal to like your home and what you deem, you know Appropriate. Appropriate for your family and your children. Absolutely.
Andrea Cloak:And I also think about the story that you told me, because you mentioned that this could be in our public schools, right? And the story that you told me how there were like 50 Shades of Grey books in your middle school, correct?
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. A number of copies Yes. At that time. And, you know, and I was very young and naive and Yeah. You know, I didn't think of anything.
Abe Baldonado:But now as a very grown adult and have grown through my profession, you know, I look back and I'm like, wow. That book was in our school. That looks cool. If you've ever opened that book, it is very graphic.
Andrea Cloak:And there's no reason for any child No. Let alone a middle schooler to read that book. Going back, I just I want to keep my child's innocence for as long as possible and I think she deserves a childhood and things like this concern me
Abe Baldonado:Yeah.
Andrea Cloak:As a parent today.
Abe Baldonado:Be a dreamer of the Easter bunny, Santa Claus. Yes. Enjoy your childhood. You know? And I I agree with you.
Abe Baldonado:And, you know, but I'm also thinking now of the parents who maybe aren't aware because there are parents who are busy. You know? They're single moms, single dads who are working multiple jobs and maybe aren't aware of the things that are happening or of the content that their children are being exposed to day in and day out. And I think it's great that, you know, you brought your voice to this podcast to share what your friend encountered because she may potentially not be willing to get in front of a camera and talk about these things because I'm sure she was shocked and deeply concerned. But at the same time, we live in a world where as a parent, you're immediately attacked saying, you know, you're over exaggerating this.
Abe Baldonado:You you're overthinking it. It's not that bad. I I think you said a great comment of, you know, I don't wanna co parent with the government. And I and I feel like we've seen a lot of that now with, you know, our government, our education system is saying, we know what's best for your kid. Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:That's not entirely the case. But I think it really hurts the most vulnerable students, the most vulnerable kids who maybe don't have support systems, and they're exposed to this, and they don't have, say, a strong parent behind them to have these conversations because that's the reality. There are kids who have absent parents who maybe don't have someone to turn to to ask these questions or have a conversation. They're now relying on a stranger to fill in the gaps.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. Well, it takes a village. Everybody says that
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm.
Andrea Cloak:When you have a child. And, I mean, it like we said in the beginning, we're born and raised New Mexicans. Like, this is our village, you know, and we have to protect our kids against this information that's out there at too young of an age, you know? You talked about having, you know, like in high school starting to have those conversations, obviously. But I always think about this, like your frontal lobe is not developed until you're 25 years old.
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. So not that you're not having those conversations prior to 25, but like there are a lot of like questionable decisions made you And prior to 20 just even having, you know, the brain development in full to process these things, you know? Like you can be naive and unaware for so long and then at some point you have to take a stand on something. Yeah. Whether I mean, that could be becoming a parent.
Andrea Cloak:You know?
Abe Baldonado:Well, and I'm sure my wife will concur, but she also still sees my man child. And I'm sure with your husband, you still see it too. So, you know, but again, I I think you're right. Looking back, when I was a teacher, I was 22 years old
Andrea Cloak:Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:Around the time that, you know, those 50 Shades of Gradebooks were in our library at the time. And, yeah, I didn't think of anything of it because I was still young, you know, and definitely was immature. You know, looking back now, I'm like, yeah, 22. Was really, really naive. But I appreciate you, Drea, bringing this to the forefront to have this conversation because I think there's a lot of people who who just don't know about this or, you know, they're told, it's not that bad.
Abe Baldonado:You have nothing to worry about. But when we learn of things like this, no, you should be worried because these things are circulating out there in our world.
Andrea Cloak:Well, it's setting a principle. Right? Right. You know, if you let this slide, what are you gonna let slide next? And if you let the next thing slide, then it's just no a mudslide.
Andrea Cloak:So
Abe Baldonado:And I I go back to our legislative session where we saw bills introduced that would tackle inappropriate content. And, you know, I know some people will say, oh, you're trying to ban books. You're trying to limit freedom of speech. That's not the case. And and I think we're all for children learning about the reproductive we all learned it in school.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. But this book is not the way to do that. This is a whole other agenda or I don't know what you call it, honestly. And maybe it's not an agenda. Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:Maybe it was meant to maybe the author was harmless. I I don't know what his thoughts were when when writing this, but I I don't think this is the way you teach a young child about the reproductive system.
Andrea Cloak:Again, when I I think about my childhood, and you can think about yours as well, like, I remember hearing the word sex
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm.
Andrea Cloak:On TV when I was in, like, third or fourth grade. I didn't know what it was. And I went to my mom and I was like, what's this? You know? And she gave me a very PG explanation The birds and the bees.
Andrea Cloak:Of what it was. And I'm grateful for that. Yeah. You know? Because there's no reason that in third or fourth grade that I needed to know anything more than the PG explanation that she gave me.
Abe Baldonado:Well, kept your innocence intact.
Andrea Cloak:Exactly. And so that's the behavior I would like to model again for my daughter and our future children. So
Abe Baldonado:And I believe most
Andrea Cloak:And again, that happened in the home. I mean, I know the TV was in there, but, you know, like, kids are gonna be exposed. Why try to expose them even more is where my mind goes.
Abe Baldonado:And I'm sure, you know, I'm not a parent, but you as a parent, you know you know they're gonna be exposed, but it's your job to safeguard them. Right? Or to, like, have that conversation with them. And, yeah, I just you know, it's it's shocking to me what that we even have to have this conversation. Like but I think a majority of our parents feel the same way that, you know, they believe these are conversations that we should have with our children.
Abe Baldonado:It is our duty to protect our children, to have these conversations when they come up, at the appropriate time.
Andrea Cloak:And to bring awareness of these are in our libraries. Like, these could be in our schools. Again, I was naive to the fact that that could be a possibility, you know? And I go to the library all the time, and I didn't know that that was, you know Yeah. That was there.
Andrea Cloak:So, it's just good to bring that to the forefront and have the conversation about it, you know, and just make people aware. Otherwise, they're not gonna know what's going on.
Abe Baldonado:Well and we saw during the legislative session, there was a large group when we had the library protection Oh, yeah. Bills, that people were saying, our librarians are doing what's right. And I believe most librarians probably do. I mean, their job is to, you know, purchase literature and put it into our libraries. But are they putting the right types of books in the appropriate places?
Abe Baldonado:You know, when I think about this book, it shouldn't be in a pre K section. You know? And so there was a failure there for that to end up there. But we we also see that there are people trying to really diminish this our conversation of, Drea, you're you're exaggerating. It's not that bad.
Abe Baldonado:And that's unfortunate because I think we see that gaslighting from folks who are saying, no. This is fine. It's totally okay. Let strangers talk to your kids about these issues. And
Andrea Cloak:Yeah. Woah, woah, saying it's okay. As a parent, I'm saying it's not okay. Yeah. So, like, again, not co parenting with anybody except my husband.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. So Exactly. And he he probably loses most of those battles anyway. Yeah. I'm guessing.
Abe Baldonado:We all
Andrea Cloak:know that Soph's the real boss. Absolutely.
Abe Baldonado:Well, Drea, I wanna thank you today for coming to be a voice on this and sharing your friend's experience and what she shared with you and showing you what she found as you know, she was taking her kids to the library. And I think we all remember our first time going to a library. We loved it and when we got our first library card. But I think the world has significantly changed since we grew up, and there's a lot more that we need to be aware of and that we need to talk about and, make other parents aware. Because maybe other parents are very busy or have tons of other problems.
Abe Baldonado:We know that families are struggling, and this might not be the top concern, but it may be something that they agree saying, hey. Yeah. I don't agree with this. Yeah. So, Jerry, wanna thank you for coming on the Chile Wire, sharing this story, and thank you all tuning in this week.
Abe Baldonado:Again, very graphic conversation, very detailed, but these are the issues that are happening across our state and across our nation. And I think it's prudent of us to have these conversations and, you know, talk about it and potentially talk about solutions or just bring awareness. So, Drea, thank you for coming on.
Andrea Cloak:Thanks for having me.
Abe Baldonado:Thank you all, and we'll see you next time for the next Chile Wire.