When Your Kid's Safety Online Becomes Necessary Will You be Prepared?

"Mom, I have to show you something.  Please don't be mad, but look."

These were the words coming out of my 15yr old daughters mouth after she had built the courage up to tell me she had broken a house rule and created a MySpace account while staying at a friend's house.

She had been asking for an account for several weeks prior to this moment in an effort to be connected to her peer group.  Among other things MySpace has a notorious reputation for questionable solicited ads and not so appropriate interactions.  My position was a firm no.

With her disclosure we found ourselves in the awkward position of how to handle two opposite behaviors. 1. She was honest and we didn't want to close that door by punishing her. 2. She broke the rules, went behind our back to create an account that she knew was not allowed.

After consideration the MySpace account was closed because she didn't have permission to create it; however we were more inclined to consider this later because she had demonstrated responsibility by coming forward.

A few months later we agreed to allow our daughter to create a MySpace account.  The rules were clearly laid out; friends need to be approved, photos and comments will be monitored, account remains private and mom and dad have the password. Our rules were in place and I was overseeing the account on a regular basis.  I felt confident that I was fully informed with all interactions, to my disappointment I was wrong.

In the confines of MySpace our daughter began communicating with an older brother of an approved friend.  This interaction grew to a virtual romance and began affecting her behavior at home.  We were unaware of the level of this interaction until it already crossed the line from harmless to dangerous.

The parents who thought they were able to monitor everything had missed crucial interactions that really needed a loving parent to guide the direction it was going.  It is a parents responsibility to be actively involved with their children's friendships and courtships. Unfortunately while social networks like MySpace provide a platform for our teens to stay connected with friends they limit the parents ability to stay involved.

So how do parents allow their children access to these social networks and ensure their safety and responsibility?  We found our solution at Software4Parents.  They gave us the ability to thoroughly monitor everything we were missing on our own and have given me peace of mind.