A Lesson A Day

The old saying 'you learn something new everyday' it's quite true!  Well at least in my neck of the woods it is and sometimes it can be more than one thing.  I think this is even more true since having kids!  When it comes to kids and today's online world there is a lot we learn daily and a lot we need to teach our kids.  One statement that sticks in my head and I will be passing it onto my kids comes from good old Dr Phil, he said this about teaching his kids about the online world, 'before you type an email or send a photo think about whether you would be happy to see your words or picture on the front page of the New York Times?  Because that is exactly what its like, you can never get them back.'

{image source}

After seeing events evolve in the blogosphere recently, its clear that we all need to remember that what we write and say never goes away once entered online.  We will be teaching our kids everything we know and learn about the online world, I am forever researching and learning new tips so I can pass these onto my children.  Some might say I am protecting my kids from reality or I am sheltering them and I say, YES I AM!  Indeed I am protecting them from certain parts of reality, yes I am sheltering them from things they don't need to see or hear and yes I will continue to do so for as long as I can.  It doesn't mean my children will live under a rock, gosh just by watching the news they see it all!  But they will be educated by us in the harsh reality of the online world today.  We will try to equip them with knowledge of consequences for their actions and how it may affect them later in life.  Obviously we do this at age appropriate stages but I believe it is up to us parents to take responsibility of our own children, society has just lost it's right to help raise my kids!  Children at 10 years old in shopping centres late at night, where on earth are the parents!  They hold no responsibility saying 'oh we just can't handle them' so what its up to society to deal with them? No we need to make a change in this society before it self destructs, parents need to own their kids actions (as well as the child owning it) they need to show some responsibility and actually help solve the problem not just throw their hands up and walk away!  Parenting is hard work and its not a sprint, these parents run half the race then quit.  We as a society then pay for it.  I am pleased to inform society that we will be taking full responsibility of our children and their actions,allowing society to hopefully mend its current messy state.