Suffer the children
.jpg)
I am a father of two children, so this story raised more than a passing interest for me. My oldest is far from the age where having a cell phone is appropriate, but when she does reach the age, she will definitely want one. At the same time, I will want to make sure she is is using it safely and responsibly. I will also need to search my budget, because all those minutes could mean that cash advance and debt relief are in my future. But My Mobile Watchdog? I think not.
Don’t get me wrong. I am protective of my kids. But the whole idea behind the media’s recent frothy-mouthed “sexting” scare stories makes me laugh. I think it goes something like this:
PARENTS, BEWARE! TECHNOLOGY IS CORRUPTING YOUR KIDS! YOUR CHILDREN ARE HAVING CHILDREN AS YOU LISTEN TO THIS REPORT – AND SEXTING IS TO BLAME! YOU’VE NEVER LIFTED A FINGER TO BE REAL PARENTS BEFORE, SO LET US THINK FOR YOU ONCE AGAIN AND SET YOU TO ACTION! COME DOWN HARD AND FAST! CONVENTS AND MILITARY SCHOOLS AWAIT YOUR CALL! THEN PLOP DOWN BEFORE US FOR AN ADORABLE LINDSAY LOHAN STORY!
You are a parent
I’m all for safety. I’m also all for teaching my children and respecting their ability to make good decisions. But some “parents” don’t seem to have a rabbit’s common sense. They’ll buy whatever Dr. Phil is selling. Like My Mobile Watchdog. I’d be happy if parents did their job, instead.
Zach Pontz reports for CNN that parents who insist upon monitoring their kids’ cell phones have My Mobile Watchdog software to help. And there are indeed situations where children who have not been parented to a significant degree should be protected.
Sexual predators
That’s exactly what Colorado Child Sex Internet Investigations Unit member Mike Harris did. He equipped his phone with the software, then posed as an underage child on social networking sites. I’m no fan of entrapment, but I have no tolerance for sexual predators. Harris soon began luring pedophiles to converse with him. Harris admits that of his 83 recent arrests of alleged sexual predators, 44 of them came due to the assistance of My Mobile Watchdog.
“It makes life easy for me as an investigator. It saves me hours of time, which obviously means I have more time to go out and catch offenders,” he said.
CLICK HERE to see what My Mobile Watchdog can really do…
Related Video:
Teaching one’s progeny responsibility is paramount. Not only is there the imperative of command, but giving them an understanding about rules existing for a reason is good too. The rules my parents set for me were grounded in reason – there is improper behavior, and there are reasons for it, and there are consequences that can arise, beyond just their disapproval and punishment. It’s almost like basic physics – each action produces a natural reaction, or set of them. Inculcating a critical mind that can understand why you shouldn’t listen to MTV’s marketing department is probably also a plus. And don’t listen to Dr. Phil – his clinical research wasn’t exactly well received, and he is not, repeat NOT a licensed psychologist in any way, shape, or form.
Children nowadays are all over sexting. Kids don’t think about whether what they’re sending out would leave a positive or negative impact on their reputation. I’ve heard about several teenage girls who sent out naked pictures of themselves to their boyfriends only to find them on posted on the internet later. It can start out innocent and end up in turmoil. We as parents need to provide the guiding light and really talk to our children on the dangers of such activity.
Parents who think that just talking to their kids and trusting that they will make the right decisions… are the reason we have ended up where we are today. Some while ago, strong parenting gave way to passive self-esteem building, and kids have been abusing it since. Want to know why the kids are out of control today? It’s not because of the media or TV or violence in movies or social networking or the actual internet… it’s because parents will only talk to them – they won’t enforce rules and take control. Kids are given way too much freedom under the guise of building “self-esteem” and exercising “trust”. And that is sad.
That’s also the reason kids have absolutely zero respect for adults/authority. The problem plagues all facets of life, not just the internet-driven one.
Be a parent, not a friend. Safety and responsibility first. All that self-esteem you are trying to build won’t matter when your child makes a huge mistake and has to suffer social consequences.
hi, just to let you know. i am 15 years old and my parents are very strict. if you want to read your kids text messages and see what is going on in their personal life, it is just going to make your kid rebel more. trust me i am a kid, going to be 16. your kids will be scared of telling you things, and will be more sercretive if you force them to tell you things and watch them every second. They will hid things from you, let them live a little. I know you want to keep them safe, which i nessacary, i will give you that. but theres needs to be a time when you give them a little privacy. try to tell your kids you wil do this (ready text messages) if they get into trouble, are up late a night, dont get good grades, disrespect you, you kids will eventually understand if they dont get it the 1st couples time. I no know i understand. but when my parents force me to tell them things, i rebel. i dont want to have a good relationship with them. take this from a kid’s side of view. Would you like your kids knowing every little thing when you text, or if you dont text, what you are saying on the phone. Kids like to be treated with respect just like adults, if you but them down, and dont show them that their oppion matters. They aren’t going to want to listen to you, becuse you dont listen to them.