Giving Thanks

It is the time of year for reflection, the time that we take stock, relax, sit back and enjoy the blessings afforded to us through hard work, perseverance, and sometimes luck.

I have wavered in how I wanted to word this post- whether to tie in a quirky story, research, or just shoot straight....I've decided to go with the latter.

Many of our children will "give thanks" or "count the blessing" of technology. I mean what child(especially our middle schoolers) can possibly live without their iPhone of iPod? As a parent, I'm not so sure I would count this as a blessing...many of you may know why.

Our children are virtual prey, they innocently log on to their electronic devices behind closed doors, at the park, at friend's houses. Once they log on they may choose to enter virtual chat rooms or online video conferencing. Their innocence makes them truly believe that the other individuals with whom they are conversing are teens, like themselves. Sometimes, the other individuals on the other end of the OoVoo screen are young looking adults with less than innocent intentions. This scenario is not new, we know the dangers of the internet, our children tend to ignore them.

What I am asking in this time of Thanksgiving is for parents to start watching, leaving doors open, closely monitoring technological interactions- my own children call it "PVS" (Parental Virtual Stalking). Protect our children from online predators, inappropriate video conversations, people with less than valor intentions.

Remember that in the life of your children, you are the blessing that often goes unrecognized and unaccounted for.