I learned a tough lesson this weekend.
Just because my kids are good kids and I trust that deep down they know right from wrong, that does not mean they won’t fall prey to the evil in this world!
The internet has provided a platform for my children to be exposed to everything the world has to offer from the privacy of our home computer. Although some of this technology is awesome and often educational, it can also be a scary situation when they encounter things I don’t want them exposed to.
My kids look at Google images all the time. They love to find pictures of the characters in their video games.
They’re allowed on YouTube. My oldest loves all the random funny stuff on there, and they both go on there to try and find cheats and tutorials for the games they play.
There’s an iPod app that my oldest loves. It has random memes that have funny captions. I let him download it, as the age level was 12+. So it must be OK, right? Wrong.
Up until now, I thought I monitored things. They had rules. I realize that going online and looking at pictures and videos may lead them to something I do not allow. So, the rule is clear: click away. Pretty sad and useless rule, huh?
I’m convicted as a parent to take the internet more seriously, and yesterday I downloaded parental controls and web protection on our PC, laptops, and even the iPod.
I found web protection software that I absolutley love, and it’s totally FREE! I really wish I had taken the simple and easy steps to protect my family before hand. However, it’s not about the mistakes we make, it’s what we learn from them, and what we do with that knowledge. Sometimes the recovery of our parenting mistakes is way more important than mistakes themselves.
Not only do I want to learn from our recent internet scare, but I want to encourage you to take a stand against the harmful influences that are out there waiting to suck the innocence from our precious children. We must protect them! We have to be proactive in our parenting and protect our kids online!
Please take a moment today to download this FREE software! It’s easy to install, easy to use, and easy to monitor. Had we had something like K9 Web Protection a couple of days ago, I wouldn’t have had to learn the hard way that my kids are not safe, even if they’re good kids.
I took some screen shots of some of the features.
All settings are password protected. LOVE!
You can set the protection level to your preference.
There’s a clear list of the categories that will be blocked.
There’s a default setting, that blocks the obvious crap that’s out there and then some. We chose to set ours to HIGH.
This is my favorite part.
When you choose to set the protcetion to HIGH it’s going to block all the default categories PLUS social networking. Now, I allow Facebook and while I still trust that the kids can go on there, with the settings on HIGH, I can control when and how long they use those sites. GENIUS!
Permission can be given with your password.
Not, only will the kids need my permission to go on YouTube, Facebook, and a few other sites I don’t really mind, they will have time limits I can set using the drop down box you see above. LOVE!
I can also block internet use during certain hours of the day.
Yes, please!
Our children need our guidance and protection in a world that is filled with evil and vile crap everywhere we turn. Take the steps to protect them! I wish I had three days ago!
Downloading this software took maybe 30 minutes for all of our computers and our iPod.
30 minutes of my time, and I slept sound last night.
30 minutes of my time and my boys are WAY safer online that they were two days ago.
Now the boys need my permission to go online, and they don’t mind at all.
Children need to know we care. They need boundaries. It’s our job to give them guidance and values!
***Most importantly, this is NOT a sponsored post. I am not being compensated in any way for my thoughts or time. This is free software, and I think spreading the word is the best way I can give back to this fabulous company!***
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My husband is a computer tech and he’s had a lot of calls recently to install programs like the above onto computers. I don’t have kids so I don’t have to do that yet but I know I will have something like the above set up when that time comes.
Julie recently posted..Yelp’s Greatest Lei
How come I haven’t been getting your updates? My reader says it was weeks ago that you last updated. Apparently I missed a whole bunch!
Twitter: Emmymom2
says:
Yes there really is so much crap out there. We have lots of things blocked and our computer is in our family room right for everyone to see.
Emmy recently posted..Like Cuttin’ Butter
I love this! I need to check it out for my kids. You just never know what they will stumble upon.
Jayme @Random Blogette recently posted..The Best Things Happen While You DANCE!
This is a very important message to get out! Our kids are not safe on the internet because they cannot pick up on the subtle lies, etc. Thanks for sharing this protection.
I’m your newest follower (and fellow homeschooler) and I am looking forward to reading more of your insights.
Ellen recently posted..Late June Garden 2012
Twitter: themommymess
says:
It is really important. Too many of us(me included) turn a blind eye and think bad things will never to us. WRONG! We need to take the steps to be safe and keep our kids safe!
Twitter: 4hensandrooster
says:
I totally forgot about K9!!! I used to have it installed when they were younger but honestly, the dog barking every time they went to a site made me remove it (I know, I know). You’re right though, it’s a very good piece of software especially for the price tag!
Kristen Daukas recently posted..Double Take: Mom and Daughter Disagree About Senior Road Trip
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Bahahaha!! Ok, I am cracking up! The dog doesn’t bark anymore. Thank God! Because that would make me crazy.
The barking is an option that can be turned on or off. It’s actually quite helpful when you have the computer in a different room from the main area of the home.
Twitter: themommymess
says:
Good point! As much as I would hate to hear that barking, I guess I would be grateful in that moment!
Thanks for stopping by!
This is great! My husband is a techie so I trust that when the time comes, he’ll do the right thing to make sure the kids’ computer/ Internet usage is monitored. (phew one thing off my plate!)
Alison@Mama Wants This recently posted..Remember When….
Twitter: themommymess
says:
I love it! And it’s FREE. Hello!
Oh yes, 100% agree! It was only when I found excess downloads on my account did I realize my “good” boy had been sneaking on to the Internet at night while we were asleep!!! As all kids do, he thought he was getting away with tricking his parents. And then I found K9….who’s had the last laugh? He is now blocked all night, I can filter what he watches, and he cannot download anything without my permission. No matter how good our kids are, they’ll always try to slip one past the parents…..and the parents retaliate with K9!!