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Household Technology Rules for Kids?
An anonymous reader asks: "My wife and I are in the process of adopting kids- We're hoping to adopt older boys (8 and up) from within the US. We've gone through the state mandated courses, but those courses don't really cover how to limit the kids with respect to technology (the Internet, TV content filtering, cell phones, MP3 players, etc). The latest strong potential son is a 14 year old child that is computer aware. I do not want to completely shelter the child, but I do want to establish boundaries- for example, I'm not going to install filtering software on his computer, but the computer will be in a public place in the house." How would you control a child's exposure to new technologies, especially when a few of those technologies are bundled with inherent dangers in addition to their great advantages (like the Internet)?
"I want to give him the freedom to learn and be creative, but also try to avoid the nastiness on the net (like the RIAA). I want him to have the freedom not just to play on the computer, but to truly use it. From everything I've been told about the kids in the foster system, they do best with a structured environment- something predictable and stable, so I think a set of rules for him to start with would be good. I'm asking for some ideas for appropriate rules/boundaries for kids, including things to watch for, and appropriate punishments (something akin to 'you broke the server, so you'll have to rebuild it, with dad's help')."
Locating PC's only in family areas of the house will maximize the "Surprise!" factor when you accidentally walk in on your son engaged in an act of self-intimacy. He thought the house was deserted for the afternoon, and then there you are, accidentally shaming him. If you're really interested in his welfare, you would provide an environment where he could experiment with himself sexually. Nobody's talking about whips and strap-ons here--a door that can be shut in a room containing some sort of sexual stimulus should be enough.
Jocelyn Elders was mocked and fired when she endorsed masturbation, but oh how right she actually was. Masturbation is a necessary component to human sexuality, and to frustrate your son's efforts could lead to other problems.