Finding Common Ground

Our class topic in grad class last week was online safety. The FBI ’s A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety was an interesting read. As a parent, the information seemed like common sense to me. Here is a favorite piece of advice from the publication.

While much of the knowledge and experience gained may be valuable, parents should consider monitoring the amount of time spent on-line.

Reading about online safety and frequently talking to teachers about this topic always leads me to thinking about how to be sure my own children are safe ONline. Well, they’re still pretty young, so this thinking has in turn led me to thinking about how I’m going to keep them safe OFFline. In the past two weeks, I allowed my 3 1/2 year old and my 5 year old to play outside alone twice. Once it was to write with chalk in the driveway and the second time was to walk a little way from the house to check out the leaves that had fallen. Well, I can tell you that both times, I was nearly glued to the window- where were they? were they okay? Later, that night I told my husband that I might prefer the kiddos spend time online – at least I could monitor their activities and see them the entire time.

As it often goes with me, this thinking led me to more thinking and sent me on a search for an article I read about a mother that allowed her 9 year old ride public transportation on his own! She received some kudos, but also much negative feedback for her decision.

I can barely let my children out of my sight, let alone sending them out to navigate public transportation! I bet that’s how many parents that aren’t confident with online safety feel. ‘If I can’t control it, I just won’t allow it.’

I’m thinking there must be some sort of happy medium. If parents can understand the dangers online AND offline and develop procedures for ensuring safety in both situations, everyone will come out the winner. It won’t mean there will never be problems, but unfortunately that’s the way of the world.

This, though, from the article, might help me with my offline anxieties:

…And for those who like the idea of free-range kids but still struggle with their inner helicopter parent, there may be a middle way. A new generation of GPS cell phones with tracking software make it easier than ever to follow a child’s every movement via the Internet—without seeming to interfere or hover.

Free Range Kids is the blog from the mother in the article.