Letting Boys be Boys, But Worried

[Cacia]

there was a time when children did NOT roam with cellphones and they (we) survived just fine.

I hear that said a lot and sometimes I wonder if it's fair. It is a different world now---internet stalkers, etc. It seems being able to check in by phone might counter some of the new dangers "out there".

But I understand your advice "follow through with discipline" and it's good advice because I am way too lenient sometimes.

On a funny note, today they left for school with frozen squid bait in their backpacks....we will see how that goes for them, since they plan to see Spiderman before they fish and I doubt it will stay frozen that long.

 

[uwslate]

Now THAT is hilarious!!!! (Sure it wasn't just old gym socks?)

About cyberstalkers... there have always, ALWAYS been stalkers, rapists, and child molestors, our fantasies of "the good old days" notwithstanding. Always. We just are better at recognizing and looking out for these criminals now. That said, no reason to be paranoid. I have one relative who has gone WAAAAAAY to the other extreme in (I think) a misguided attempt to "protect" the kids. What has happened is that the mother has made the kids terrified in abnormal ways and undermined their self-sufficiency and normal development. This in turn puts them at *greater* risk of predation by keeping them ignorant of even the most basic information (that is, deliberately preventing them from dealing with such topics by avoiding them altogether). Wishing the boogeyman away won't make him disappear. Teaching the kid how to recognize the boogeyman (and how to fight back) is far more effective, IMHO.

It's only in recent years that we've really as a culture begun to discuss sexual predators, thanks to the courage of survivors who stood up and took away the shame associated with such crimes, and thanks to the much-maligned media and law enforcement officers who finally took a more proactive stance to covering such crimes as a result.

So I would respectfully disagree that there is more danger. What there IS more of is communication about this issue--and that can only be a good thing.

BTW, there are really dandy little handheld radios WITH GPS MAPPING built in now! Surely there's a marine version with NOAA charts. Your kid would get a kick out of that and you would rest easier. (When he's not grounded. )