An Emoticon is Worth a Thousand Words

It's hard to imagine that anyone who has access to a computer has not seen some of the innovative graphics that abound throughout the World Wide Web. It is amazing how so much evolved from so little. It started in 1982 with a simple typographical symbol :-) that meant something was funny and then there was :-( meaning something sad or unhappy. And after that it just took off, and even kids are taking their creativity to the Internet.

There are differing feelings when it comes to discussing how much time kids should spend online. Some feel it should only be for research or homework, while others feel that they should not be a limit set and of course there are those that feel the amount of time allowed should be age appropriate. Which then leads to the question "What is age appropriate"?

Naturally as a parent you want to keep your child safe and sound through all of life’s highways, even the information super highway of the Internet. The Internet has all of us connected with instant information, instant access and instant conversation. As parents you are responsible for being aware of the risks they may face in cyberspace.

A few ways to do this is to learn about the Internet, if you are not exactly computer literate, or only have limited information, question friends and colleagues, take classes or read reliable articles and then just start surfing. Not surprisingly you can learn a great deal just by surfing the net. In other words, be informed.

You can also keep the family computer in an open area such as a den or family room in order to see and monitor what your child is doing online. Be curious and check on them. Make sure your child knows to never give any information about their identity, reminding them that anything even the name of their school may give someone an opportunity to locate them. At the same time remind them that people will lie about anything when online in order to get something they want.

If you are not sure how to open the doors of communication try to remember how you felt as a child when you were given a new responsibility such as driving, excited as heck but also a little scared. Consider sending them an email telling them how proud you are, etc. And, you may want to include some of those smileys or emoticons, just to show that you are not really all that lame.