Throwing Common Sense Out The Browser Window?
2004-09-12, 3:20 p.m.

Sunday�s fortune:

Remember why you are here.

This is provided we knew the reason in the first place. :::::::scratching head:::::::: Why was that again, exactly?

***************************************

Did I mention that I got an A on the family tree project? Oh wait, SON got an A�

***************************************

There is this website

http://maddox.xmission.com/

and then there is this one.

http://mam.2nm.net/

Visit the first one, bearing in mind such useful words as SATIRE and HUMOR. Visit the second one and be amazed. Some people just have waaaay too much time (and vitriol) on their hands.

Maddox�s site is certainly not one for children. He does not claim it as such, present it as such, nor even intend it as such. But, behold, a mom found her child perusing his site nonetheless while he was surfing the �Net. Why, you ask, was a child doing Internet searches whilst his parents were busy doing their parenting from another room? Because, apparently, it�s up to Maddox And Co. to know that such children are online and should shut down their sites in order to protect the tykes from moral corruption.

Point Un: Moms (and Dads), please. Get a grip. There is only one true Internet filter. It�s called PARENTS. Parents standing next to their children when they are online. Parents who install firewalls and child-safe filters but who do NOT rely on them solely for screening. Parents who seek out interesting sites for their children and bookmark them for quick surf-free access.

The author of the anti-Maddox site says that she no longer is able to let her children browse the Internet without supervision. HELLO? Am I teetering on the edge of sane parenthood when I say that I do not, never have, and do not intend to let my children get online without parental supervision? No, we cannot stand by them every split second, but we CAN pop in every few minutes to check. Or, even better, put the computer in a very visible main area of the home. Parental supervision does not equal being leashed to the thing, but it does equal you taking a peek every so often. If you catch your kid browsing something he/she shouldn�t, then MAYBE YOU AREN�T CHECKING OFTEN ENOUGH. For heaven�s sake, use some freaking common sense!

Point Deux: I am the parent. I impart morals, virtues, rules, laws, codes, and standards upon my children. Nevertheless, my children are exposed every day to hundreds of anti-standards which violate our tendencies and beliefs. Can I screen out every single assault on their developing moral fibers? Of course not. The best I can do is to reinforce daily our family�s moral code. If we see or hear something to the contrary, we have a rational discussion about it and why we do not agree with it. We give our children the reasoning behind our beliefs. Ultimately, it is up to our children to develop their own sensibilities. Do I believe every single thing that my parents did? Of course not. Am I close? Sure. I am a creature of free will, forming my own opinions and thoughts and even morals. My parents did their job in creating a good solid platform from which I could spring. It is up to Hubby and me to do the same for our kids. In summation: If I have done my job as a parent, then there�s no way one smart ass with a clever website can single-handedly unravel the character that has been instilled in my kids over the past 10-12 years.

There are plenty of things out there to which I do not want my children to be exposed. Porn, violence, racism, anti-Christianity (I am NOT against other religions, but those who simply want to tear down Christianity as well as tear down other religions just for hate), intolerance, hate, greed, and Democrats, to name a few. The only way to protect them 100% would be to close them into a sterile bubble with no contact whatsoever with the outside world, no friends, no peers, no television, no radio, no computer, no books, nothing. That is not only impossible, it is unreasonable. Give your children the foundation and tools to form their own opinions, hopefully within the realm of your family�s beliefs, and have the confidence in your own abilities as parent to allow them to grow some wings. Clipped wings, at first, as is age appropriate, but wings nonetheless.

There are plenty of dangers out there that DO warrant our protective action. Blocking someone else�s First Amendment rights to free speech via the Internet isn�t one of them. That�s a very variable danger that we, as parents, can control in our own homes without having to mow down others in the process.

last - next