Should a twelve-year old...

Well, my twelve-year old just asked if he could have a Facebook and a Twitter, and I was just talked into a new cell phone last week so that he has texting capabilities, which I was already against, and my 73-year old mother talked me into.

Wow!  What a lucky boy to have such a cool and modern gramma!  She reminded me that he is a great kid who follows the rules, and if he doesn't, then I can always put restrictions on the phone.

So, why am I adament about allowing him to have a Facebook and Twitter?  Is it any different than what he would hear on the playground at school, or when all the kids are hanging out at sports practice? Yet still, I am resisting.  I am not sure if I am resisting Facebook and Twitter or the idea that my baby boy is growing up and starting to expand his horizons--I almost think it is the latter. 

I don't want him to grow up--I want to preserve his innocence; I don't really want a teenager, although I teach high school and know that there are some really great kids in high school doing really great things. With this being said, it is something most people don't know since it is the bad kids who get all the press.

Maybe we should really start emphasizing the good kids more so people
realize that it isn't all bad in our world today, and that most kids will make good choices because that is what they have been taught--right?

So, if I truly believe this, then isn't it true that my son, if given a Facebook or Twitter, will make the right choices when up against situations that cause him to say---hmmm, what should I do?

Our Children's Education....

Does socio-economic status matter as much as parental support?
Are there success stories about children who grow up in rough, poor neighborhoods that overcome their adversity and excel in school?

My answer to this is yes, and the reason why is that those children had a good
familial support system who valued education, and who took time with their
children--in spite of where they lived or how much money they made.

Education is not just for the rich!  It is for those who desire to learn--so how is that desire enhanced--strictly by teachers or by many different factors--the most important being the child's main support system.

If a child has someone who cares for them and puts effort into them from birth until he/she starts school, works with them, and instills the value of a good education and continues these thoughts and behaviors throughout the child's school years, will that child be successful in school no matter where the child attends school?

hmmm....what do you think?

More television shows for children...

I think that there ought to be more television shows for children-shows that are entertaining but innocent.  When I was a child there were shows like: Brady Bunch, Flipper, Flintstones, Beverly Hillibillies, Mod Squad, Adam12...to name a few.

These were fun to watch appropriate shows.  Parents didn't have to monitor what was on so much--especially during Prime time, and commercials!  There used to be regulations that safeguarded the children more--why did we change?  Do so many of us really believe that we don't have to keep the innocence in our children for as long as possible?  It's not that that innocence gets destroyed in time anyway--why do we feel the need to destroy it at such an early age? 


hmmm...what do you think?