Should parents secretly monitor their child’s text messages, phone calls and social media activities in order to keep them safe?
That’s a dilemma confronted by parents as they try to balance safety with honoring their child’s privacy and independence.
A recent Pew Research Center survey of parents of 13- to 17-year-olds found that 61 percent of parents check the websites visited by their teens, 48 percent review phone call records or text messages and 56 percent follow their kids on social media. It’s unclear whether such supervision was done covertly or with the knowledge of their teen.
Apps such as TeenSafe allow parents to secretly monitor their children’s text messages, phone calls, browsing history and Instagram posts.
Those in favor of such spying make a strong argument. Safety trumps privacy. The dangers of the digital world are too overwhelming for most teens to navigate without parental guidance.
The margin for error is small. A sexually explicit photo sent impulsively can have lifelong consequences for a child. Parents have an obligation to help their kids become responsible digital citizens. They can only do so if they know what … Read More... “To Spy or Not to Spy on your Child’s Internet Use”
As individuals we have certain inalienable rights, granted to us by the Constitution. The right to own a gun, the right to vote, the right of free speech . . . the list goes on and on. Among those rights that we as U.S. citizens enjoy, is the right to parent as we see fit (subject to certain exceptions, of course). Parents are generally allowed to make important decisions on behalf of their minor children. Examples include, what type of food the child eats (vegan, gluten free, organic, etc.), what type of school the child will attend (public school, private school or home-school) and whether or not the child will be vaccinated. In addition, parents are charged with deciding how to discipline their children and what organized religion, if any, they will be raised in. Whether or not parents realize it, the decisions they make today will affect their children for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Gregory Ramey never sugar coats it. He has kindly allowed the Ohio Family Law Blog to repost many of his articles pertinent to our readership since 2007. So, you may ask, why post this one? Well, the answer is simple. I agree 100% with him! Another example of him being spot-on in my mind. Life is tough and it doesn’t come with training-wheels or rose colored glasses.
The reasons couples divorce are as varied and different as the individuals involved. However, upon closer examination, it seems that there is often a common thread as to why the breakdown occurred.
A month or so ago I took a trip out to Lake Tahoe for one of my college buddy’s bachelor party. Let me tell you something about Lake Tahoe during the ski offseason, you gamble a lot. And that is what we all did during the weekend. We just gambled and placed bets on various sporting events at the three casinos Lake Tahoe has to offer. I did not go crazy with the bets because my wife would murder me, but I had some fun taking a risk on the uncertainty of will I win or not. Except for when I placed a bet against the Reds during their series with the Pirates. I knew for a fact I was going to make money on that bet.