Myspace? Parents ARE responsible-when you're kids AREN'T at school, a freinds, etc...

April 14, 2006

I am the FIRST person to say that I believe it is ultimately a parents

responsibility to raise the kids correctly, know what they are doing, who they

are talking to and where they are going (online included).

I am the worlds biggest snoop and I track my kids on my computer (which is in

the dining room), search thier private domains because it is my house. Nothing

is private from me. Generally, one kid does not like this. She is 16 and had

her bio-mom raising her for the first 12 years. Well, raising her, not exactly.

Giving her unlimited freedom is more like it. Makes for a tough adjustment.

She spent time in school on web-sites and I found out BY ACCIDENT when I did

my standard e-mail snoop, leading to Xanga (just like Myspace, different name).

I got a list of all her friends, times they wrote blog entries and the nasty,

nasty, filthy garbage they blogged about. Proud to say, mine was only blogging

semi-inappropriate things. Called the school and learned that the computer

teacher TOLD the kids to go on this website during class and blog for thier

'lessons'. It took a few calls to the Principal and it finally stopped.

When she is at a friends house, I can only hope that my faith in the parent is

not misplaced. It is hard to trust ANY parent today because most are just as

daffy as the teens. My kids have FEW people they can hang out with outside of

school because most kids have idiots for parents. (one parent let my daughter

sleep in the camper with a boy she liked)! I found out and nixed the friendship

immediately that got her sleeping over there in the first place. Well, actually

I can't stop her from seeing the girl in school, but that is it.

I BELIEVE that the parents need to be the lead in all safety issues, as well

as moral and charecter issues.

I also believe that if MySpace allows a person to sign up WITHOUT a valid

E-MAIL address they are trying to GET PAST THE PARENTS who are trying to do

their job. MySpace needs to take responsibility as far as NOT trying to keep

parents out of the loop.

And YES, you can sign up without a current valid e-mail address. My oldest

pointed this out to me, I could not believe it because I have NEVER been able to

sign up for ANY site without an addy, they send a link and I click it and sign

in. I tried MySpace and sure enough, you don't need one.

So for the youngens on here with no kids who try to blast parents who have

problems with MySpace, think about that for a while. Parents who don't believe

YOU have a responsibility to protect your children, think again.

I just wish more people belonged to the fabled 'village'. You know, that

raises children?

Amy Spencer

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