Mom Snoopies up son's MySpace as punishment

[dop]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7632/snoopycomputerxu8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A sassy 13 year-old Virginian laid the smack-down on a vacuum instead of doing his chores and then was caught looking at porn by his tech savvy mother, who stumbled upon some very suspicious looking cookies stored on the computer's browser. Unhappy with his recent behavior, how does a mother punish a boy in this day and age?

After taking away his Xbox 360 and putting it up for sale on Craigslist and Ebay, she password protects the computer, preventing him from accessing it. The finishing touch? Upload a picture of Snoopy onto his MySpace page, which is apparently a very uncool thing to do nowadays. "I'm a single mom," she said when asked about the event, "I can't let them walk over me or I might never get up."

Full Article @ DownloadSquad (http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/04/15/parenting-2-0-mom-pranks-sons-myspace-as-punishment/)

[maryhaze]

good for her! my foster/stalker uses his laptop to do whatever he does on his myspace & i've been known to take it away from him & read what he writes. this kid teeters on the ragged edge anyway & it's my job to keep him on the right side. sounds like this mom believes the same way.

[Angel]

Good job, Mom! What a good example for other parents to follow. :great:

[Catlady]

OMG, that is SO a T-shirt (with a slight tweak in the wording)!


"If you let them walk all over you, you may never get up"

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I want to be this mom when I grow up! Oh wait, I'm 50 - I want my kids to be this mom!!

[lilbay]

Way to go Mom!!
This mom deserves an award.

BRAVO!!!!


:D

[w8ng4msrgt]

I saw this comment on another site.

He's lucky that it wasn't any of my aunts. Any one of them would've taken the power cord for the vacuum, whipped the living shit out of him, make him sweep the floor with a tooth brush with an old spatula for a dust pan and THEN sell the XBox, the games, and a few of his other things.

[Lizard]

The kid better be thankful. Instead of Snoopy, it could've been Barney or Dora the Explorer.

[dop]

Dont dis dora Liz, Shes a chola and she will cut you!

[Lizard]

Lord, I ain't dissin' her, I just think the 13-year-old wouldn't want his friends to see her on his MySpace. I mean, when I find an appropriately respectful Dora MySpace layout, I'm totally pimping my profile with it.

[gprime]

I get punishing him for (what sounds like) breaking the vacuum. But looking at porn? By that age, it is already expected (as covered in a previous thread). This is a case where talking to him, rather than being a cunt, might help.

[Rotten Apple]

I get punishing him for (what sounds like) breaking the vacuum. But looking at porn? By that age, it is already expected (as covered in a previous thread). This is a case where talking to him, rather than being a cunt, might help.

Being a cunt? I'm sure she talked to him, but that doesn't override his punishment.

Have you seen some of the sick shit that is out there? (Wait, look who I am asking...) I'm sorry, but I don't want my child to think that a full sized horse fucking a man is "normal" behavior. I also don't want my child to think snuff films are normal. I want my child to be able to develop a normal healthy sexual relationship with their partner. Until they are old enough to put some of the crap that is out there on the web into context, I have a duty to protect them from it. Giving them free reign to what they can now access from the comfort of their own bedrooms is not doing them any favors. Especially during the years where they are learning the most about their sexual identity.

Every responsible parent sets rules. They are all in the best interest of their child. If the child breaks the rules there are consequences. No porn in MY house. When you have your own home and I have no legal responsibility for your actions, do what you want. Plain and simple.

[impqueen]

I get punishing him for (what sounds like) breaking the vacuum. But looking at porn? By that age, it is already expected (as covered in a previous thread). This is a case where talking to him, rather than being a cunt, might help.

Jesbus, gprime, check your pants. Your youth is showing. ;)

I've about decided to stop listening to you until you're at least 21. You're intellectually a smart kid, but you have no concept of mature adult behavior or parenting. Hell, you probably still get pissed at your parents if your direct-deposit allowance is late.

Recently, your posts toward anyone attempting responsible parenting have been full of sanctimonious bullshit. I hope you're going with an absurdist theme, but I suspect this is immaturity rearing its ugly head.

Tell you what, my boy's gonna have to look at his porn on the sly and hope to his chosen deity or lack thereof that I don't catch his ass, or his Myspace (when I decide he can have one) will be all Hello Kitty and glitter graphics in an "I am so grounded" theme.

One he's of legal age, he can do what he wants - but minors in my house don't get access to porn or any other item illegal for children. And if talking about it before the fact doesn't make that clear to my spawn, maybe my "being a cunt about it" after the fact will.

[jlt080405]

Jesbus, gprime, check your pants. Your youth is showing. ;)

I've about decided to stop listening to you until you're at least 21. You're intellectually a smart kid, but you have no concept of mature adult behavior or parenting. Hell, you probably still get pissed at your parents if your direct-deposit allowance is late.

Recently, your posts toward anyone attempting responsible parenting have been full of sanctimonious bullshit. I hope you're going with an absurdist theme, but I suspect this is immaturity rearing its ugly head.

Tell you what, my boy's gonna have to look at his porn on the sly and hope to his chosen deity or lack thereof that I don't catch his ass, or his Myspace (when I decide he can have one) will be all Hello Kitty and glitter graphics in an "I am so grounded" theme.

One he's of legal age, he can do what he wants - but minors in my house don't get access to porn or any other item illegal for children. And if talking about it before the fact doesn't make that clear to my spawn, maybe my "being a cunt about it" after the fact will.




Great response kthy and impqueen,, this was actually an encouraging story amongst so many morbid tales. Refreshing to see a mother not enabling her child. I dread the day my four year old does more on the computer than play "sponge bob" or any other children's game, and you better fucking believe i will be the first one "Snooping" on my computer after my daughter uses it! Props to mom for handling it so awesomely!

[maryhaze]

ITA, my kids will always be answerable to me for what they do in my house. privacy to take long showers with body lotions is one thing, porn on the computer is another. drugs are pretty much ruled out because i have real life drug sniffing dogs in the house. i'm not sure of much, but if they decide to build bombs in the garage (a la columbine) i'm pretty sure i'll be on top of that one too. if responsible parenting means being a cunt, than i'll take that title gladly.

[GoldenChild20k]

ITA, my kids will always be answerable to me for what they do in my house. privacy to take long showers with body lotions is one thing, porn on the computer is another. drugs are pretty much ruled out because i have real life drug sniffing dogs in the house. i'm not sure of much, but if they decide to build bombs in the garage (a la columbine) i'm pretty sure i'll be on top of that one too. if responsible parenting means being a cunt, than i'll take that title gladly.

Yeah, my kids already know I'm a cunt if you don't follow my rules (which I make explicitly clear), so hopefully I've covered that base lol.:D

[Athena]

Am I the only person in America who thinks that 13 year olds shouldn't have MySpace pages to begin with?

Glad to see that some parents understand the importance of discipline, though. Hopefully, the proceeds from the console will be almost enough to cover the vacuum expense.

[aspartame]

Dont dis dora Liz, Shes a chola and she will cut you!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m164/luv_fromfirst2last/th102928img2.gif

WHATS UP BITCH!!

she is totally throwing up gang signs!

[GoldenChild20k]

FINALLY Athena, someone who agrees with me! WTF do 13 yo need with a MySpace page? Dammit, my 11 yo has friends her own age who already have one, it's not hard for kids to get by that. Thankfully mine has a head on her shoulders, and has been earbashing her friends about internet safety (hammered into HER head by yours truly).

[Athena]

Good lookin' out, GC20K.

It's not that I feel like MySpace pages for kids that young is a cardinal sin. But, it's definitely not "healthy", per se. A 13 year old doesn't need to "network", thus, nothing will be gained by such a page. On the other hand, there are a number of risks. Primarily, predatory opportunity for adults and the possibility for a child that age to grow attached to manufactured characters. At the very least, however, the child is learning that it's okay to break certain rules, or that online age limitations should be taken with a grain of salt (MySpace has an age limit of 14+).

[Nell]

I had my first daughter very young, so I gave her up for adoption to my parents. Not the abusive ones, don't worry. Anyway, they are good parents but they let her have a myspace page and she is only 12. That I don't like at all. My mom tells me it is way locked down and she only uses it to talk to family and friends but I still don't like it.

[gprime]

Being a cunt? I'm sure she talked to him, but that doesn't override his punishment.

Have you seen some of the sick shit that is out there? (Wait, look who I am asking...) I'm sorry, but I don't want my child to think that a full sized horse fucking a man is "normal" behavior. I also don't want my child to think snuff films are normal. I want my child to be able to develop a normal healthy sexual relationship with their partner. Until they are old enough to put some of the crap that is out there on the web into context, I have a duty to protect them from it. Giving them free reign to what they can now access from the comfort of their own bedrooms is not doing them any favors. Especially during the years where they are learning the most about their sexual identity.

Every responsible parent sets rules. They are all in the best interest of their child. If the child breaks the rules there are consequences. No porn in MY house. When you have your own home and I have no legal responsibility for your actions, do what you want. Plain and simple.

Ultimately, parents do have a right to impose rules on children living with them. I don't take issue with that in any way. But, that doesn't mean I'm inclined to agree with a particular rule, especially one of such puritanical origins.

While there is certainly some highly abnormal fetish material available to those seeking it, that is not what most people see their first time, or on any regular basis. Outside of some spam emails, such content is normally limited to specialized fetish sites that I sincerely doubt the kid was going to. If he was, the article sure as hell failed to mention it.

But let us look at the two types of material you specifically took exception to. One is snuff. I would remind you that it is illegal, exceptionally hard to find, and something almost nobody will ever see. BDSM is not interchangable with snuff, as one involves murder, and the other does not. I grant you some BDSM material can be highly brutal, and is reasonably accessable compared to other fetish material. However, it can be explained perfectly reasonably. And much the same is true for beastiality. There are only a handful of countries and American states where such material is legal to make, therefore limiting the availability of material even more. Naturally, it too requires some additional explanation, but should be covered regardless.

At the end of the day, when it comes to human sexuality, I have a very relaxed and modern attitude. As far as I am concerned, punishment is never the solution, so long as those who are involved consent. And in the case of viewing porn, there really is nobody else whose consent is needed. A richer sexual education strikes me as the better choice. Once again, I would suggest that for as long as the abomination that is public education continues, a much more thorough and detailed sexual education class, starting no later than 6th grade, is badly needed.

[Rotten Apple]

At the end of the day, when it comes to human sexuality, I have a very relaxed and modern attitude. As far as I am concerned, punishment is never the solution, so long as those who are involved consent. And in the case of viewing porn, there really is nobody else whose consent is needed. A richer sexual education strikes me as the better choice. Once again, I would suggest that for as long as the abomination that is public education continues, a much more thorough and detailed sexual education class, starting no later than 6th grade, is badly needed.

Ah! but you forget gprime, along with snuff and bestiality, disseminating pornographic material to minors is also illegal. So basically, the sites that my child would be visiting would be breaking the law.

And though your attitude may be seem relaxed and modern to YOU, I think it may seem a little misguided and naive to most parents.

[impqueen]

FINALLY Athena, someone who agrees with me! WTF do 13 yo need with a MySpace page? Dammit, my 11 yo has friends her own age who already have one, it's not hard for kids to get by that. Thankfully mine has a head on her shoulders, and has been earbashing her friends about internet safety (hammered into HER head by yours truly).

My EIGHTEEN year old doesn't have a Myspace page. Know why? Because it's crazy. There's no reason for her to have one. I wouldn't care at this point if she did, but I nixed it for so long she doesn't feel the need for one now. Facebook was okay with me, but even then I needed the password and told her I had to have it until she was of legal age.

My son will have no social networking pages or unsupervised internet time until he is much older. So for now I spend a lot of time looking at Runescape and Gaia over his shoulder. And yes, I do mean I look directly over his shoulder. I'll stop it when he starts driving, probably.

[Nell]

Don't drop it when he starts driving. I have 4 brothers and they just get more deviant with time. HAHA!:D

[nurseronda]

And yes, I do mean I look directly over his shoulder. I'll stop it when he starts driving, probably. You are right about this one Imp, you will be setting right beside him trying to remove your hands from the imprints in the dashboard because he scared the shit out of you, I know, I have been there....:D

[gprime]

Ah! but you forget gprime, along with snuff and bestiality, disseminating pornographic material to minors is also illegal. So basically, the sites that my child would be visiting would be breaking the law.

I don't forget that at all. But how many parents do you know who routinely force their child to comply with every law? I mean, don't you think your kid will jaywalk? Litter? Perhaps even get into a fight? With that in mind, I cannot see any more of a reason to uphold this law within the privacy of one's own home, once context has been given.


And though your attitude may be seem relaxed and modern to YOU, I think it may seem a little misguided and naive to most parents.

As did the fight for civil rights to many other parents a few decades ago. After all, if it wasn't their rights under threat, they didn't give a damn, and saw efforts to disrupt the system as misguided and wrong.

[GoldenChild20k]

My EIGHTEEN year old doesn't have a Myspace page. Know why? Because it's crazy. There's no reason for her to have one. I wouldn't care at this point if she did, but I nixed it for so long she doesn't feel the need for one now. Facebook was okay with me, but even then I needed the password and told her I had to have it until she was of legal age.

My son will have no social networking pages or unsupervised internet time until he is much older. So for now I spend a lot of time looking at Runescape and Gaia over his shoulder. And yes, I do mean I look directly over his shoulder. I'll stop it when he starts driving, probably.

Totally agree. Both our computers are set up in the family room, and from where mine is situated, I can look right over the shoulder of whoever is on the other computer, and see what they are doing. Additionally, mine is the server and logs every keystroke, every little thing that is done on the other computer.

As for the social networking pages, well we have a lot of family spread across Australia, and it is easy for us to keep in touch and share photos using Facebook, Bebo and MySpace and the like, BUT, that's a family thing, so I see no reason why my daughter should have a seperate one. She can see everything she needs to see while I'M using it.

I can see that eventually she'll want to use it to chat with her cousins, so I may revisit that in the future, but it'll still be monitored by me, and she won't be adding any friends that she AND I don't know in real life.

[Athena]

Gprime - Why do you seem to disagree with parents monitoring their child's internet usage? Your relaxed view on human sexuality doesn't entirely account for it.

I am of the camp that believes a minor should little to no privacy. For as long as a parent is legally and financially responsible for their child's actions, a parent should be as wholly aware as possible of that child's behavior.

Of course, I also believe that aware should not translate into restricting, necessarily. For example, as a teenager, I was subject to random searches, of both my room and my person. Contraband would be confiscated and I would be disciplined accordingly. However, my parents also allowed me to attend concerts and raves unsupervised, occasionally and, generally speaking, I was quite autonomous. They didn't feel the need to stop what I was doing just because they knew about it, unless it posed a significant threat.

[gprime]

Gprime - Why do you seem to disagree with parents monitoring their child's internet usage? Your relaxed view on human sexuality doesn't entirely account for it.

I am of the camp that believes a minor should little to no privacy. For as long as a parent is legally and financially responsible for their child's actions, a parent should be as wholly aware as possible of that child's behavior.

Of course, I also believe that aware should not translate into restricting, necessarily. For example, as a teenager, I was subject to random searches, of both my room and my person. Contraband would be confiscated and I would be disciplined accordingly. However, my parents also allowed me to attend concerts and raves unsupervised, occasionally and, generally speaking, I was quite autonomous. They didn't feel the need to stop what I was doing just because they knew about it, unless it posed a significant threat.

I certainly understand and respect the position you are taking (which strikes me as clearly different than the above posters). The position I take comes in part from personal experience. I was never supervised online, and were, I think I'd be generally less educated then I am now. Child supervision is time consumer, and thus limits the amount of time that the kid can spend online. And the truth is, there is no better resource for learning than the internet.

I grew with a computer in a communal room and parents who checked browser history (too me getting grounded once to figure out a way around the latter problem). It wasn't great, but it could have been worse. Frankly, the idea of not letting kids have a private IM account that they use to talk to school friends or something of that nature, as has been mentioned above, is many steps too far.

Kids need freedom, including the freedom to make mistakes that won't have dire consequences. And as long as a child is properly informed, I can't think of any reasonably likely online options that would be truly horrid in terms of impact. I take essentially the same approach with any form of media, which can be crucial to intellectual growth.

[Athena]

I certainly understand and respect the position you are taking (which strikes me as clearly different than the above posters). The position I take comes in part from personal experience. I was never supervised online, and were, I think I'd be generally less educated then I am now. Child supervision is time consumer, and thus limits the amount of time that the kid can spend online. And the truth is, there is no better resource for learning than the internet.

I grew with a computer in a communal room and parents who checked browser history (too me getting grounded once to figure out a way around the latter problem). It wasn't great, but it could have been worse. Frankly, the idea of not letting kids have a private IM account that they use to talk to school friends or something of that nature, as has been mentioned above, is many steps too far.

Kids need freedom, including the freedom to make mistakes that won't have dire consequences. And as long as a child is properly informed, I can't think of any reasonably likely online options that would be truly horrid in terms of impact. I take essentially the same approach with any form of media, which can be crucial to intellectual growth.

Okay, I can generally agree with that. Obviously, specifics depend on the child, but my experience is very much like yours. Our computer was located in the living room. My parents didn't monitor my accounts, but they did limit my time spent on the computer. Of course, MySpace didn't exist back then, either. I consider it reasonable for a parent to loosely monitor a MySpace page, if their child has one. Of course, I also don't think a MySpace page is a necessity for a child, so I don't find it unreasonable for a parent to disallow myspace access.

Ultimately, though...You know me. I think that freedom is necessary and that, more often than not, education trumps supervision in terms of safety. Still, supervision is an integral part of the formula.