Keeping Our Children Safe

Keeping Our Children Safe

Jacob Wetterling was an 11 year-old-boy living in a small town in Minnesota when he was abducted on October 22, 1989.  To this day, all that is known about his kidnapper is that he was a masked gunman. Due in no small part to the perseverance of his parents in lobbying for tougher legislation, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Act in 1994.  This act requires states to implement a sex offender registry or risk losing ten percent of federal funding for their state and local law enforcement programs. Many states now believe that due to loopholes in registration and an increasingly mobile population, there is a need for a private sex offender registry.

President Bush signing the Federal Funding Acc...
President Bush signing the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, September 26, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One such online registry is the Klaas Kids Foundation, formed in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of young Polly Klaas in 1993.  This site gives detailed information regarding the rules and guidelines for registration for each state, as well as providing a link to each state government’s registration website. Another valuable online resource is called Offendex.  It boasts a database of over 750,000 offenders and you can search there by state, city, name or zip code. If you plan to visit a different area, it may be worth checking out a site called Family Watchdog as it provides access to lists of offenders in all states as well.

Keeping our children safe should be a priority for all Americans. Given the scope of the problem, it certainly does not hurt to have a private sex offender registry in addition to state registries.  It is worth taking the time to investigate all resources available.

Use BlackBerry Spy Software to Protect Your Kids and Their Privacy

Children are exposed to threats through nearly every medium that they encounter, and BlackBerry Spy Software is one tool that parents can use to protect them on their phones. Far from simply snooping on them, BlackBerry Spy Software allows you to respect their privacy and keep them safe at the same time. Here are a few simple methods you can follow when using BlackBerry Spy Software or other cell phone spy tools to keep your kids safe, but avoid snooping at the same time:

  1. Check Their Location Once Ever Day With Cell Phone Spy Tools

As a cautious parent worried about your child, you may be tempted to use BlackBerry Spy Software to check their location all the time. You should refrain from checking more than once a day unless you suspect some unwanted activities or they are out with new friends.   Otherwise, just briefly review their Location History at the end of each day and if they stray from where they were supposed to be, take the appropriate action.

  1. Skim – Instead of Reading – Their Text and Call Logs

BlackBerry Spy Software is capable of logging every video, text, chat and picture recorded on or taken with the smart phone.  But while this cutting edge cell phone spy software gives you the opportunity to trace everything your child does – you should avoid doing so.  Instead, you can instead simply skim your child’s communications.  Specifically, use the BlackBerry Spy Software to monitor communications to make sure that they are not talking to the wrong people first.  If the cell phone spy application reveals contacts you are not familiar with, then it is wise to invest the time to review specific communications.

  1. Review Call Details, Don’t Needlessly Listen to Each Call

BlackBerry Spy Software provides every name and number for every call placed or received on your child’s smart phone.  And while this advanced cell phone spyware can also record all incoming and outgoing calls as well, take a moment to first review the Call Details feature first. You likely will not have to listen to calls from friends you trust or other people you already know, but it may be a good idea to briefly listen to specific phone calls from unknown or potentially malicious contacts.

  1. Use Spy Mode for the Right Reasons

Newer and advanced versions of BlackBerry Spy Software offer a feature called Spy Mode.  This cutting edge cell phone spy application allows you to listen to what is going on around your child’s smart phone.  Specifically, the cell phone’s microphone is remotely activated by the BlackBerry Spy Software so parents can secretly monitor conversations, background noise, etc.   But to avoid unnecessary “snooping”, parents should only engage this aggressive cell phone spy application if a child is out with new friends or if they refuse to answer their smart phone.

Author Bio

Jane has been in the business of providing quality information on cell phone spy technology. Most recently her focus has shifted towards the blackberry spy app which is making waves in the technology world today.

Why You Shouldn’t Friend Your Teen on Facebook

If you have a teenager, you’re probably well-versed in how important the Internet is to the social life of a high schooler. Most teenagers have Facebook accounts and spend many hours per week on the computer. It’s a trend that isn’t going away. You might even have a Facebook page of your own. But does that mean you have to be “friends” with your teenager? Some parents very closely monitor the computer usage of their teenagers and others don’t bother. Where do you fall on the spectrum? A teenager’s Facebook page is a very personal place, and if you’re friends with them, you’ll have access to it. As a parent, you may think it’s a good idea. It’s not. Some things should remain sacred, and your child’s Facebook page is one of them. Under no circumstances should you friend your teenager on Facebook. If you do, you’ll probably end up regretting it very quickly. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t go there.

Do You Really Want to Know What They’re Doing?

Teenagers use Facebook to post and comment on all types of teenage things. They’ll post pictures of the weekend parties, talk about relationships, say things they think are “cool,” and much more. Do you really want to be able to see all that? Being able to view your teen’s Facebook page may grant you too high a level of access into their personal life. Many things may not warrant parental intervention, but seeing them may make you uncomfortable.

Do You Really Want to Know What Their Friends are Doing?

Teens use Facebook to communicate with each other all the time. Not only will you have unnecessary access to the comments of your own teenager, you’ll also be viewing the wall posts, status comments and photos of their friends, too. If you’re not ready to see your teenager’s closest buddies in a new light, you shouldn’t be friends with your teen on Facebook.

You’ll Make Them Censor Themselves

If you’re friends with your teen on Facebook, you better believe they’ll censor their page for you. They’ll think twice about everything they post. They’ll first evaluate if it’s something they’re okay with you seeing or not. While it’s a good thing for them to be discerning with what they post, you don’t want to be the sole reason they have to censor themselves. Let your teen be a teen. They’ll be able to enjoy their social networking experience more if you’re not watching so closely.

You’ll Have to Censor Yourself

You’ll also have to make sure your page is appropriate for your teen to see, too. You won’t be able to post anything you don’t want them to see, like things they could make fun of or be upset by. But you have a personal life, too, and you don’t want to censor yourself, either. If you don’t friend your teen, you won’t have to worry about it. You can be yourself and enjoy Facebook without worrying about constantly playing the part of parent and role model.

Terry Ford wants to remind you that Facebook can be fun if you play carefully and always use a Grammar Checker.

Parents Increasingly Dealing With Manipulated Drug Tests

The rise in availability of home drug testing kits and technology has seen a parallel rise in a related industry: products that manipulate drug test results. While none of these products truly come out and say that’s what they’re for, a quick internet search or talk with the clerk at the shop will tell you that beating a drug test is exactly what they are for.

For parents or even private schools which use drug testing as a means of keeping kids and students in check, these products aren’t just a nuisance. They turn the whole point of drug testing on its head and make a mockery of the system. The problem is that in today’s world information is so entirely accessible with search engines and the internet, that kids have quickly figured out how to beat the system. It’s not “underground sites” that sell these products. It’s the sites you know and love: Amazon and Ebay, to name a few. You can find everything from QCarbo32 drug test drinks here to pills to even fake urine, all of which are used in a semi-illegal manner to trick the results of testing, whether through urine or hair analysis.

What’s needed is a test that tests for products designed to trick the tests.

Or maybe not. Maybe what’s needed is parents to know what these products are and be able to identify them in the house. It’s not the most noble act, but more than one kid has been caught using them by his Dad finding the empty plastic jug of QCarbo32 in his sons trash can.

But what if the kid takes the intelligent step off destroying the evidence – what then?

And therein lies the problem. How do you fight against that? The truth is that you can’t.

Maybe home drug tests aren’t really a good weapon after all.

  • Tips On How To Deal With The Teenagers (SexOffendersSearch.org)
  • Single Parent Dating Is Tough (singleonlinedating.org)

Promoting Family Togetherness With Communal Computing

Families are often fractured these days, whether through work or social commitments, marriage breakdown, the social lives of children – the list goes on. However it is so important for families to do things together, even when they are amazingly busy. One simple thing to do is to bring establish a family computer for use in a communal family area like the living room – it allows the family to learn and interact together, and is one simple way to promote togetherness as a positive thing.

Every member of the family can get something out of it. Not only is the family spending more time together, but they are doing it in safety and together. The more a family does together, the closer they are, and that’s a simple fact. It is also beneficial for members of the family to see what the others are doing – sort of broadening their horizons and learning new skill sets and concepts at the same time.

For example, the kids could get a lot out of seeing Mom and Dad explore different investment options and comparing online penny stock brokers to try and get a better deal. Not only does it introduce important adult concepts such as responsible investing, but also comparison and analysis. Parents can also help the older kids out by helping to search for jobs for teenagers online in an effort to earn extra money and learn responsibilities and time management.

All in all, moving a computer to a central communal location is a good idea for the whole family. IT promotes togetherness and safety online, which is always the most important issue. It’s important to be a part of each other’s lives, and encouraging a communal focus on online activities is one of the best ways to achieve that – after all the online world is here to stay, it is us that has to adapt.

  • Tailgating Family Style (fryingpansports.com)