CastleCops® - The Adventures of BabyBlueEyes' Brother

From CastleCops Staffwriter katiec

BabyBlueEyes (BBE) has a brother who is 10 years older than her, which makes him 18 now. Let's just call him GeekyNerdyChild or GNC for short. GNC has also been an “internaut” for many many years. I have to admit, my computer safety concerns were much different for him when he was growing up than they are for BBE now.

When he hit his early teens, he discovered the super-geek online gaming community and promptly became addicted to a game called EverQuest or as we refer to it “NeverRest” or “EverCrack.” You get the picture. GNC put so much time into this game, I was concerned he wouldn't develop the social skills necessary to conduct himself in the real world. I'm happy to report, he's done quite well and the upside here is that he has amazingly well developed written communication skills and isn't the least bit reliant on Internet shorthand such as LOL or BTW. These writing skills along with his intimate working knowledge of computers due to years of tweaking and upgrading his gaming computer, netted him a full-ride scholarship to the University of Nebraska/Omaha. So, I must have done something right.

A few years into his EverQuest phase, he and his buddies discovered MySpace. (What is with these compound names with no spaces?) With a staggering 107 million members since its launch in January 2004, MySpace is a cesspool and breeding ground for Internet predatory behavior, but GNC was always very upfront about his page there. He never discouraged me from visiting his space, or that of his friends. He let me read anything he sent or received and was very open about his content. In fact, there were many times he called me into his room to read something he'd posted or check out something his friend GeekyNerdyBuddy#1 blogged. Despite all the threats by posed by this site, GNC never had a lick of trouble.

Would I recommend MySpace to just anybody? Absolutely not. There's way too much danger lurking in the background. In fact, it's not looking good for BBE to ever have an account there - ever. There are too many predators just waiting for a guileless young girl to fall prey to, but the likelihood of a predator getting basement boy out of his lair was between slim and none. He didn't inherit the same “socialness” gene as his sister. So my concern for him wasn't as great.

Double standards? You bet. But BBE and GNC are two different personalities, and yes, two different sexes. And yes, sex is a factor here, whether it seems politically correct or not. Am I naļve enough to think a young boy can't be lured into a dangerous liaison. No. I'm not, but it was less of a concern because of GNC's openness and honesty, not to mention his devotion to computer programing and the definition of sine. (I don't call him GeekyNerdyChild for nothing, you know.)

I think the keys here are what we'll call the three C's - Communication, Content and Context. Communicate with your children, know the content of what Internet sites they are frequenting and keep their level of understanding in context with their personalities.

Along that same vein, follow the three C's up with the three Be's - Be informed. Be involved. Be ready to pull the plug when necessary. Your child may be mad at you for awhile, but it's a phase most all of them go through anyway with or without the Internet. About the time they turn 30, they'll start to understand and they may even thank you.


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