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Today's Poll: How closely should parents monitor their teens online activity?

By Howard B. Owens
Lisa Falkowski

I think very closely to start. There are so many predators out there. Then maybe just closely, depending on teen's habits.

Jun 26, 2012, 8:29am Permalink
Cj Gorski

> Manually checking their accounts and computers.
> Using technology to track everything they do and say.

Sure am glad people voting for these two aren't my parents.

Jun 26, 2012, 4:14pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Until people can vote, join the military and still be refused a beer, their right to privacy is limited to their bedroom, without any electronic communication devices in there with them.

Unmonitored online time means you just allowed your kid a cross country tip, alone. Don't stop there, though. You just allowed them a trip around the world with anyone that wants to say everything they want to hear.

I unlock computers for people who have been locked out by their little Janey or Johnny and the crap they're trying to hide would curl even the most gnarled toes. Don't allow your children to be alone online without being able to check on them. It's not so much the predators you need to worry about. It's the KIDS you should be concerned with.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D6aHAPoE78]

Jun 26, 2012, 10:30pm Permalink
Billie Owens

I appreciate this man's intent, his love, frustration and strong sense of teaching right from wrong. This is probably not how most "city folks" would handle the matter, but it seems like the right thing to do in his situation. I don't think any young person should have to have it as hard as he indicated his teenage years were.

But I do think basic chores, respect and appreciation are things that ought to be done, given, paid by teens living at home. I predict that one fine day, this young woman will have children of her own and will gain the maturity to value her father's words and deeds.

Too many children, myself included, do not or did not have the benefit of a strong father figure who could "lay down the law" without being abusive. Fathers are so very important. A lot of people today want to be their kids' "friends." That's baloney. During the course of a lifetime, a person may encounter many friends, but parents are few and, sadly, far between.

Jun 27, 2012, 7:35pm Permalink

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