Good points, Nat.
I was tied up earlier, and didn't have time to type. I hate to pull out the "Parent" card, because few people on this board fall into that demo, and get tired of hearing about it.
This may be hokey, and not worth the download, but I can tell you Maddie would love a program/browser where Miss America comes out and "talks" to her. I like the idea of it being highly restrictive.
I parent my child, but at the same time I am human. As she grows (society today) will require her to be connected electronically more often than I can have her on my lap clicking for her. If a product like this helps bridge that gap........I'll check it out.
It is my intent that
14 y/o F. Calif.
Never makes contact with her.
Thanks.
I try not to pull out a "parent" card too often, too, 'specially 'cause I'm not a parent.
However, I am learning a lot from having siblings that are 15 and 18 years younger than me. (And, yes, sometimes they think of me as a second mom. It's nice in a way. But sometimes I miss just being a sibling to them.)
The point about society is very valid, and definitely something to consider. In fact, the reason we did finally get a computer was because of the changes that were becoming so obvious in this area. My parents would be perfectly content without one, but also realize that, especially for the younger generations, it's rather impractical and can actually be inhibiting, not to mention almost impossible.
The fact that you can't always be by your child when they are doing something is a good reason to take precautions. This browser or your own customization to Firefox (or another browser that allows a lot of tweaks) is a good step (I prefer the latter). But there are lots of other things to do, too.
Yeah, I hope 14 yr. old Calif (or any of his/her friends) never makes contact with Maddie, either. She sounds like a sweet girl. Or makes contact with any of you GHer's kids, for that matter. (If I'm not careful, I'm going to go down another rabbit trail.)
Like I said in another post, I know people who are now regretting things they should have done sooner.
One is now regretting not being up on what their child was involving herself in when she was 13. By the time they realized it and wanted to add restrictions, they were bucked and weren't able to fully establish it (partly because they hadn't really established family rules or parental control, partly because they had somewhat "given up" on the rule before they made it (didn't enforce it), partly because they didn't have the knowledge of what to do to help enforce it, and I think they also caught it much too "late"). That went on for years, now that "girl" is a "legal adult", and they still have problems with her whenever she's home (which isn't often because she's always away with friends or at her dad's house because he doesn't have any guidelines).
Another family, is now struggling because they weren't aware of everything you could do with a computer and were caught off-guard. They're in the process of setting down rules. But it's hard for a kid to follow them when they're friends are trying to persuade them otherwise.
There are other instances, too. I'm trying to learn from other people's experiences. And one thing I've really noticed, is how important it is to be involved in your children's lives. And to set the groundwork down early so you don't have to regret it later. (Yeah, that's two things.)
Those of you with kids, enjoy them. And I hope you don't have the regrets from the same mistakes that so many other people are suffering from.
