Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Keeping Our Children Safe
By Brenda Hyde
I wanted to touch base today about keeping our kids safe. I've been seeing all kinds of gadgets and methods to keep track of kids since there has been so much going on in the news with missing children, but NOTHING can compare to talking with our kids and laying down family rules.
Things we may have done in the past simply aren't acceptable any longer. I feel no child should be allowed in a front yard, on the sidewalk, wandering the neighborhood or apartment complex by themselves. This has become far too dangerous. The buddy system should be in effect NO MATTER where they are. Better yet, keep them where you can see them at all times. Yes, this may seem overprotective to some, but if I can see my kids, then I know where they are and what they are doing.
We don't want to frighten our children, but instead slip in some fun activities that revolved around learning to be safe. By keeping it fun you will make an impression without making them afraid of everyone and everything around them.
-Let them dress up in big people clothes and make up situations where they are either friends or strangers stopping to talk.
-Give them boxes they can decorate as cars and act out scenes where they run away and don't talk to strangers, but if it's Grandma they can run up and hug her when she gets out of "the car".
-The trick is to do this as an ongoing learning process, not just once or twice. Draw pictures, talk about about what they feel is "safe" or "good". Listen to them, and answer their questions.
We have to adopt a different mind set nowadays, and think daily about the decisions we make when it comes to our kids and grandkids. Love them, hug them, teach them the best you can and watch over them! Don't assume that your neighborhood is safe and take precautions. It only takes a few extra minutes.
About the Author Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom to three children, freelance writer, gardener and editor/owner of Old Fashioned Living.com.
What a great article and website, please support her and visit the Old Fashioned Living home and enjoy the laid back style of the simple life...
I wanted to touch base today about keeping our kids safe. I've been seeing all kinds of gadgets and methods to keep track of kids since there has been so much going on in the news with missing children, but NOTHING can compare to talking with our kids and laying down family rules.
Things we may have done in the past simply aren't acceptable any longer. I feel no child should be allowed in a front yard, on the sidewalk, wandering the neighborhood or apartment complex by themselves. This has become far too dangerous. The buddy system should be in effect NO MATTER where they are. Better yet, keep them where you can see them at all times. Yes, this may seem overprotective to some, but if I can see my kids, then I know where they are and what they are doing.
We don't want to frighten our children, but instead slip in some fun activities that revolved around learning to be safe. By keeping it fun you will make an impression without making them afraid of everyone and everything around them.
-Let them dress up in big people clothes and make up situations where they are either friends or strangers stopping to talk.
-Give them boxes they can decorate as cars and act out scenes where they run away and don't talk to strangers, but if it's Grandma they can run up and hug her when she gets out of "the car".
-The trick is to do this as an ongoing learning process, not just once or twice. Draw pictures, talk about about what they feel is "safe" or "good". Listen to them, and answer their questions.
We have to adopt a different mind set nowadays, and think daily about the decisions we make when it comes to our kids and grandkids. Love them, hug them, teach them the best you can and watch over them! Don't assume that your neighborhood is safe and take precautions. It only takes a few extra minutes.
About the Author Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom to three children, freelance writer, gardener and editor/owner of Old Fashioned Living.com.
What a great article and website, please support her and visit the Old Fashioned Living home and enjoy the laid back style of the simple life...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Keeping Our Children Safe - with BloggerPower
For a Safer Web – We’re Calling Out Bloggers
We can unite our voices to send out a common sense request to all the “adult site” webmasters:
Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information. It’s true that children might login as well, but not so many as one may think. The fear and shame of being caught are still crucial stoppers.
So we call out the bloggers and everyone else out there who cares enough to help us deliver this special appeal to porn webmasters. It might seem like a little step, but it’s not.
Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information. It’s true that children might login as well, but not so many as one may think. The fear and shame of being caught are still crucial stoppers.
So we call out the bloggers and everyone else out there who cares enough to help us deliver this special appeal to porn webmasters. It might seem like a little step, but it’s not.
A password-protected login prevents small kids from having direct access to extreme pornographic images. It will not stop older kids from actually making accounts to the porn sites, but until the children reach the “let me make an account” age, we’ll have enough time (or should have enough time) to educate them.
Let’s see if what collective power there is in our united voices (and keyboards!), shall we? We are a strong community; we should prove that our voices matter. And the porn webmasters will listen, eventually. They depend on adult paying customers who are in our on-line communities as well. Those webmasters who demonstrate civic awareness and responsibility will benefit in the market, just as any corporation must be mindful of its reputation.
And we are speaking to political leaders through out the world as well. If the adult website operators don’t respond with positive action, then we will urge governments to require password protection.
This is NOT censure; it’s not an attack on anyone’s freedom of expression. It’s common sense. Even Hustler is delivered in a plastic foil wrapper. That wrapper does not inhibit Hustler’s free speech, nor restrict legitimate customers from consuming its content. Now we need similar safeguards for the web.
So don’t let the children down. Join us; write about this issue in your blogs. Use the logos on your blog as a pro bono advertisement linking to this site.
Thank you for your support,
Bill Wardell
Your Online Security Authority
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