I remember the days of sheer physical exhaustion from chasing after my kids; always worrying if they were going to tumble down the stairs or get into some type of poison underneath the kitchen sink.  Now that the kids are six and 12, there has been a noticeable shift in my worries–especially for the 12 year old.  I no longer am physically exhausted from playing hide and seek and chasing after them down the block.  Instead, I now am in the role of “detective”.  I have to review my older daughter’s website history, her emails, her texts and various accounts like Instagram and Snapchat.  There seems to be all sorts of dangers lurking and an innocent child has no idea of the possible outcomes.

When I chat with other parents and tell them of my trials and tribulations, most are shocked.  Their first reaction is “How do you know?”  and then “How do you check?”  Ignorance is not bliss here, people.  As a parent, you must know what your child is doing online.  Parents should know every place their child goes online and should have every user name and password to every account.  I am currently creating a job aid for parents so that they know how to check the most commonly sites and apps that 11-13 year-olds are using.  Of course, things move rapidly, so fully expect to update the document regularly.

• What things do you need to know how to do?
• What sites does your child visit regularly?
• Have you implemented internet “rules” that your child must follow?
• Does your child have an email address?
• Does your child text?

Let me know what your experience is with your child and the online environment.  Also let me know what would be helpful to know so that I can consider putting it on my document.