409. Inoculate your family against pornography. by Corrie Lynne Player. Great Ideas!
This was published in our local newspaper, The Spectrum, on May 2, 2015. It was writtin by Corrie Lynne Player, a writer who has a column each week about family issues, called "Heaven Help Us.".
Last week I started discussing the blessing and cursing of technology and mass media. I pointed out that salacious and violent images are no longer marked by an R or XXX rating or within the covers of sleazy magazines. The click of a keyboard or remote brings the most depraved, filthy images right into the hands of curious children or adults.
Curiosity is an important characteristic — it leads to progress and development of the human mind. However, curiosity can lead to unintended consequences when it’s expressed by an innocent child. As parents, grandparents, teachers and others, responsible adults have the obligation to protect children, especially adolescents whose emerging hormones and disconnected brains make them prime targets. While they can be assisted by teachers and extended family members, parents have the primary responsibility to teach and arm their children against the evil that awaits.
The plague of pornography cannot be underestimated, and your best protection against it is to keep the Spirit in your home. As we were brainstorming about this topic, Morgan, my IT manager, came up with some good ideas. Morgan emphasized (as do I) that there’s no foolproof, perfect way to keep evil away from your children. But you can do a lot to armor them: Teach children about good choices; talk to them early and realistically; answer their questions openly, honestly and fully; and watch them closely and be involved in their lives.
A trust-filled, loving relationship will enable your kids to be comfortable coming to you, no matter what. They’ll withstand inevitable evil influences and reach out to you for help to do so. Morgan’s next point was to ensure that your Internet is filtered. Do it yourself or get someone to install a service like OpenDNS (it’s free) onto your router. Then learn how to view website histories of those who access the router. Always password protect the router and other devices.
And avoid something obvious (your birthday is the first thing kids will try) or the same code for everything.
There are programs that block content fairly well like Net Nanny, but only work where they’re installed. Operating systems like Windows and Mac all come with builtin ways to filter content, but again only on the one device. Obviously, you should ensure filters are on every hand-held, lap top or other device your kids may access.
Let me repeat: Make sure that your children know you love them without condition, and that you will protect, nourish and sustain them, no matter what. Be curious.
Pop in and out of their lives on a random basis.
Walk in, unannounced, while they’re on the computer. Realize that all children believe they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof. They have no comprehension, not a bit, about how quickly they can become addicted to something that’s so pervasive and enticing. And they don’t have a clue about how pornography can destroy their lives.
Make situations that can arise during Internet use a frequent topic of conversation with your tweens and teens. As you, my regular readers know, I’m always looking for good ideas to share in this column. Together, and with help from above, we will be able to build spiritual and emotional fortresses that will keep our children safe from toxic media and Internet predators. Send an email or question to me: heavenhelpusbeourbest@gmail.com for ideas I can use in upcoming months.
Visit corrielynneplayer. com and look for the “Newsletter” link for a newsletter titled “Safeguard Your Family” that includes a walk-through and links to help you protect your family on the internet.
From a deeply spiritual perspective, as well as the pragmatics and success of having raised 9 of her own children and numerous foster children, Corrie Lynne Player sheds fascinating light on the minds and souls of teenagers. From diffusing sibling rivalry to dealing with everyday issues such as eating and sleeping to encouraging better listening and communicating skills within your family, she draws upon extensive personal experience to provide an illuminating look at life with teens and, most importantly, how to make raising them less stressful. -- ( Pal -- I went to her website: corrielynneplayer.com -- and it is very interesting!)
Inoculate your family against pornographyLast week I started discussing the blessing and cursing of technology and mass media. I pointed out that salacious and violent images are no longer marked by an R or XXX rating or within the covers of sleazy magazines. The click of a keyboard or remote brings the most depraved, filthy images right into the hands of curious children or adults.
Curiosity is an important characteristic — it leads to progress and development of the human mind. However, curiosity can lead to unintended consequences when it’s expressed by an innocent child. As parents, grandparents, teachers and others, responsible adults have the obligation to protect children, especially adolescents whose emerging hormones and disconnected brains make them prime targets. While they can be assisted by teachers and extended family members, parents have the primary responsibility to teach and arm their children against the evil that awaits.
The plague of pornography cannot be underestimated, and your best protection against it is to keep the Spirit in your home. As we were brainstorming about this topic, Morgan, my IT manager, came up with some good ideas. Morgan emphasized (as do I) that there’s no foolproof, perfect way to keep evil away from your children. But you can do a lot to armor them: Teach children about good choices; talk to them early and realistically; answer their questions openly, honestly and fully; and watch them closely and be involved in their lives.
A trust-filled, loving relationship will enable your kids to be comfortable coming to you, no matter what. They’ll withstand inevitable evil influences and reach out to you for help to do so. Morgan’s next point was to ensure that your Internet is filtered. Do it yourself or get someone to install a service like OpenDNS (it’s free) onto your router. Then learn how to view website histories of those who access the router. Always password protect the router and other devices.
And avoid something obvious (your birthday is the first thing kids will try) or the same code for everything.
There are programs that block content fairly well like Net Nanny, but only work where they’re installed. Operating systems like Windows and Mac all come with builtin ways to filter content, but again only on the one device. Obviously, you should ensure filters are on every hand-held, lap top or other device your kids may access.
Let me repeat: Make sure that your children know you love them without condition, and that you will protect, nourish and sustain them, no matter what. Be curious.
Pop in and out of their lives on a random basis.
Walk in, unannounced, while they’re on the computer. Realize that all children believe they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof. They have no comprehension, not a bit, about how quickly they can become addicted to something that’s so pervasive and enticing. And they don’t have a clue about how pornography can destroy their lives.
Make situations that can arise during Internet use a frequent topic of conversation with your tweens and teens. As you, my regular readers know, I’m always looking for good ideas to share in this column. Together, and with help from above, we will be able to build spiritual and emotional fortresses that will keep our children safe from toxic media and Internet predators. Send an email or question to me: heavenhelpusbeourbest@gmail.com for ideas I can use in upcoming months.
Visit corrielynneplayer. com and look for the “Newsletter” link for a newsletter titled “Safeguard Your Family” that includes a walk-through and links to help you protect your family on the internet.
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