Caaaareful Now....

The CLEAN comic Tim Hawkins does a great comedy bit about Parents giving good parenting advice too late. Too see it, click play or copy the link below and click on Tim On Parenting.  http://www.timhawkins.net/video.php  In the clip, he laughs about good advice given too late - kids playing with bricks over a period of time, throwing, catching, playing with bricks and eventually someone hurts themselves with the brick and the parent says, "Carefuuul!" Ha, ha.Well at that point - it is too late, tears and blood flow, and MAYBE a lesson was learned. But the children were allowed to play with bricks and over time they became less intimidated by the potential force of brick on a noggin.

As we raise our three children - I am reminded that good advice is never too late, but wisdom states that good advice can be put to better use if listen and apply the knowledge before the mistake is made.Good advice is that before parents allow their children to hang out with other children they check seriously on the influences those children have. The same should be said of media. Those influences make connections in young brains that can set in motion thoughts and actions that are not welcome, and far less than holy.

Pornography use is on the rise - and I read an article recently that called pornography, "Liquid" because it seeps through the defenses that parents put up. If children aren't allowed to watch a certain movie at home, they might see it at a friends or relatives or even school. If they cannot listen to a certain music style or artist...just wait-cause it will be on the radio, a friends iPod, Mtv, or other public venue. Liquid influences are dangerous also because the Internet is now even hand held and there are very few filters that work on mobile devices - the dangers are realized by the telling statistic that 1 in 5 teens has sent a "sext", a wireless picture message including at least partial nudity. Without understanding the potential of the Internet - teens are shocked when they discover how far a picture sent out of commitment or "love" can go.
My example is simple - the readers of this blog come from of course the United States, but this is where it gets weird and a little scary. I am new to blogging and already I have some "readers" or "views" from Canada (4), Chile (2), United Kingdom (2), Malaysia (2), Turkey (2), Israel (2), India (1) and the Netherlands (1).

I know many young people that simply do not understand the vastness of the Internet - the good, the bad and the ugly. I started this blog because I needed a creative outlet - I never really thought it would turn into much.
Similarly, a teen takes a picture and sends it, (never thinking it would turn into much), and before they know it their reputation is damaged forever, and they have been deeply hurt. My advice in a liquid culture is to limit the use of mobile broadband till closer to college age or till they fully understand the risks and costs. Also keep computers in a public place with supervision and put time limits on browsing. Too many times, I have counseled a young person drowning in liquid porn before they realize they were in too deep.