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Blimey – the internet, social media and smart phones have well and truly buggered up being young.
Not really, just changed it. Kids are more social now than ever - they're permanently chatting with their friends. And that doesn't mean they don't meet up, far from it. They meet up just as much as we did, "back in the day", it's just that the time when they would previously disconnect is massively reduced. Whether that's good or bad is arguable, obviously if a kid is a target of bullying it's going to make it worse, but for the majority of teenagers personally I think they've got it better than us.
I “felt guilty” then delving into Snapchat because I reacted fast and despite my immediate concern I acknowledge I’d like to have discussed it with him, and we’ll do that immediately when an obvious chance to do so comes – which hasn’t yet – rather than “I read your messages last night and…” becuase that could cause him to start hiding things from us.
What do you mean by "reacted fast"? You thought something might change in the next five seconds, or you reacted without thinking and then regretted it?
"I read your messages and..." is exactly where I'm coming from. What was stopping you from "reacting" once you'd retrieved the boy first?
Beyond that, I’m not going to apologise for actions taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of my children no matter how wrong a keyboard warrior thinks I am. They are still children and they are under my care, the phone and content therein being an extension of my responsibility to them. And, what Jondoh said.
/shrug
Trust works both ways. If I were 13 and were 'trusted' with a phone, and then I found out that for whatever reason my parents had been going through my phone behind my back, it'd be the last time there'd be any risk of them finding anything and I almost certainly would know more about hiding things than they would about finding them.
As I said, if they know and understand that this is your policy then that's perfectly fine, that's good parenting. If they don't then it's the 21st Century equivalent of your parents reading your diary, "oh, I just found this old book under your bed and started reading". It's a betrayal.
Give the personal criticism a rest please Cougar.
Sincerely Yours, Not a Parent
In which case, please don't judge those that are.
Give the personal criticism a rest please Cougar.
Well, point the first, I didn't. Point the second, you started it in calling me a keyboard warrior.
I'm not judging you. I don't care sufficiently to be judgemental. Maybe that's your own guilt talking. 😁
What was the point of starting a discussion if you don't want to discuss it?
(In seriousness, in case it's not clear, I'm _really_ not having a pop. Rather just trying to convey how I'd have felt at 13. I've no idea how to raise children, which is why I didn't, but I was one once.)
Didn't you just reply 'no' 🤫 ?
calling me a keyboard warrior.
No, I didn't aim it at you specifically, maybe thats YOUR guilt talking. I'm happy to discuss it with those that are parents and therefore have valid experienced opinions. As you are not a parent, your wading in to something you have no experience of and likely you cannot comprehend the other emotions & tendency's that go with it.
Feel free to crack on, but please don't direct your advice and comments at me which you seem to want to do - it isn't necessary.
(I edited my post whilst you posted that.)
My 5 year old lad seems to be beating them away with a sh*tty stick at the minute. He was having a playdate with one of his many "girlfriends" and she proposed to him. So sweet. He blanked ger though as he was busy counting to 1000.