What's the difference between

defiance and a sincere question?

The last thought is a seeming paradox. Focus and relax. Focus on the ones that are the most important to you and relax about keeping up with the world's expectations. With our priorities in order, we can set our own expectations and let the world conform to our lives.

What is the connection between the trend and practices of children using social networking media and internet safety for kids? It is closer than you think. Let’s take a look.

Firstly, social networking websites and online chat rooms are frequented not only by kids and teens but also by online and sexual predators too, for the obvious reason that maximum children are there too, lurking around to attack at the slightest chance. They can lurk around so easily because of the fact that internet makes it so easy for anyone to take on assumed identity. They obviously are hiding behind some identity which they created for the very purpose.

Learn all about social networking safety tips for children, click here.

There is no telling who your kids are chatting with on the other side. Their ‘good’ online friend might well be a man or woman forty years of age. But rest assured that their projected online persona will be of someone attractive and friendly in order to lure children. Many a times they do succeed in striking friendships with kids and many a times there are always kids who are fooled by them into revealing their personal information online, sadly.

Cyberbullying is one example where the cyber bully carry on their activities over the social networks using false identity. And in the case of cyberbullying, a bully can later become a victim and then back again. Cyberbullying is known to go to extreme levels with devastating consequences.

The focus of concern surrounding internet safety for kids here is that any child can be vulnerable to attacks if care and caution is not exercised. This includes the former cyber bully who can land up to become a victim too. It almost always starts with some interactions online on the online social networking platform.

All these while like many parents you might have been thinking what harm can possibly arise from a media which is purely online. Sad but true, many kids are wounded and scarred for life, some has ended their lives. You will be surprised to know the many areas, the trend in the online practice and the social networking activities of children where children are vunerable to getting hurt.

Click here for detailed study on all the areas of safety concern for children.

Like most children, if your kids loves spending hours in front of the computer there’s a high chance they are spending most of the time online at internet chat rooms or online message boards. For instance, MySpace is one of the most frequented sites frequented by junior high school and high school students to stay in touch with friends, make new online friends and be in the social circle. There is nothing to be alarmed with this as such, the only cause for concern is that in order to look cool among their peer groups kids simply must have a cool profile online for which they might end up revealing personal information on their profile, not only that kids frequently uploads photos and videos online too which might contain private content which might be spread around.

These insights are just a few of the many areas. The reality is, it is not practically possible to keep a track of your child’s activities over the vast landscape of the internet all by yourself. You simply have to make use of the tools and services available, like those here on KidSafe.

The article below is titled "How to Bully Proof Your Kid."  Kidsafe.com has free reports to help you. 

 

Tune in all this week for a special series devoted to bullying and its damaging effects on our children, on "AC360º" at 8 p.m. ET. Then tune in Saturday night at 8 ET for "Bullying: It Stops Here," a special town hall discussion led by Anderson Cooper.

(CNN) — Miranda Jones can remember many afternoons in the counselor's office in her small-town Colorado middle school, crying about other kids relentlessly teasing about her weight.

She'd change clothes in the bathroom stall after gym so the other girls wouldn't laugh at her size. By high school, she was spending countless hours in the library reading to avoid social situations and the possibility of being teased. She rarely complained to her teachers, assuming they would just make it worse if they confronted her bullies.

"I went out on a limb (my freshman year in high school) and decided to join the speech and debate team, which filled countless hours of time that I would have otherwise spent being sad about my lack of friends," says Jones (who didn't want to reveal her real name because she's embarrassed by what happened to her). "Thanks to that activity, I actually made some wonderful friends. I had something to do every weekend. And I was good at it. That was the biggest thing, I think. I excelled at something that terrified most other people my age, and in that, I had some power."

Now at a top-ranked women's college in the Northeast, Jones is grateful her debate coaches helped her find something she loved that kept her focused and got her into college. "Without an after-school activity, academic support from adults and without constantly reminding myself that it wasn't going to last forever, I never would have survived the endless taunts of my peers."

Battling back against bullying Teen bullying interveners The roots of bullying Getting to the root of bullying

It's unfortunate that our children will get bullied at school, whether it's about their appearance or dress, their academic ability or hobbies, a disability or just the fact that they're the new kids in town.

Schools with vigorous anti-bullying programming are more likely to stop bullies in their tracks, but not every school has a commitment to stopping the abuse. However, there are things parents can do to strengthen their children before the bullying starts, convince them to tell parents if a verbal or physical attack occurs, and keep them safe.

Start early. Does your child understand the difference between thinking, feeling and action?

Starting when their son was 3, psychologist Tammy Hughes and her school psychologist husband started teaching him. At night, they'd say, "Tell me three good things that happened to you today." This helped him make the distinction between events and his feelings about them.

Once he had that mastered, they added, "Tell me three good things that happened to someone else (lesson: the world includes me and other people, their feelings and actions)."

Next they asked, "Tell me something you did that worked out well. Now, tell me something that someone else did that worked out well for someone else."

"These simple questions help children differentiate themselves and others, and (teach them) cause and effect. If you can connect these ideas and feelings, then it helps children to prepare to identify bullying — negative versus positive behaviors — and who did what to cause the outcome," says Hughes, chair of Duquesne University's department of counseling, psychology and special education and co-author of "Understanding Girl Bullying and What to Do About It: Strategies to Help Heal the Divide." "These simple steps help children to guard against blaming themselves for the bullying of others and to help them feel they can act to change the situation."
When their son turned 6 and was introduced to his school's formal bully prevention curriculum, he already knew how to talk about feelings and their source and how to act according to the school's instructions about bullying.

"Parents and teachers will find that it is not how savvy they are in their conversations with their child, but rather how often they engage the child in preparing for thinking, feeling and action when the parent is not around," says Hughes.

Develop a sense of self. A sense of self isn't about children feeling good all the time or getting a trophy for showing up to every soccer game. It's teaching a child to have core sense of sturdiness so her sense of who she is isn't defined by the whim of her peers.

Parents show their children they know them when they choose an activity with them, discuss personal problems, and talk about their day. It's also reflected when a parent makes a comment about something unique or challenging for a particular child.

"It's about parents really being tuned into their children and the kind of people they are," says Richard Weissbourd, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of "The Parents We Mean to Be." "We want to reflect back to them who they are, whether they are spirited, soulful, feisty, funny or strong-willed. It's not explicitly praising them a lot that matters. It's demonstrating a deep knowledge of and affirming who they are."

Encourage courageous behavior. Bullying flourishes in school communities when most of the community stays silent while the bullies attack.

Bullies have power when the audience of bystanders is silent. Bystanders should speak out to the bully and or officials.

"When one kid gets bullied, everyone is silent or laughs or goes along with it because they don't want it to turn on them," says Kenneth Ginsburg, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-author of "Letting Go with Love and Confidence: Raising Responsible, Resilient, Self-Sufficient Teens in the 21st Century." "They sacrifice someone to keep themselves safe."

Teachers and coaches can encourage students to speak up when someone is attacked. Any student can encourage members of their team or club to do the right thing, but those lessons often start at home.

Raise your child with character and values, sharing stories of people (including you) who have done the right thing in the face of adversity. That way they can stand up against bullying or other injustice when it occurs at school. "Character is about doing the right thing when nobody is watching or when it's hard to do," says Ginsburg. "The person with character says, 'not in my presence.'"
Look in the mirror. Become aware of your own behavior, because your children will copy you.

Parents who are reasonable, calm and practice problem-solving in the face of stress and uncertainty model those skills and attitudes for their children. Once they see it works, children can develop that peaceful approach to their world and the bullies within it.

"Parents whose default response is one of intimidation may inadvertently model bullying behavior for their children," says Donna Henderson, a professor of counseling at Wake Forest University. "Or, if parents are the targets of bullying behavior from other adults and they don't address it directly, kids will assume that's the way to respond to bullies."

Develop overlapping circles. Encourage your children to become involved in after-school activities and clubs that they enjoy.

That will help them make friends with different groups of children. If one group turns on your child, he will have other friends to support him and remind him he's not alone.

"This is great for building self-esteem and gaining a greater sense of purpose," says Virginia Wilkins, director of mentoring for College For Every Student, a nonprofit that helps underserved youth prepare for college and supports them once they're there. "Say my child is being bullied in an art group. Having other social groups lets my child experience something very different. It's not all or nothing."
Develop physical confidence. Some children benefit from developing a sense of their own physical strength, whether in martial arts or another discipline.

Being able to understand the physical movement of one's body is key to establishing a child's place in the world, says triple black belt holder Kris Wilder, a Franciscan monk and co-author of "How to Win a Fight." "The success of martial arts is that it creates an immediate and indelible link to the internal sense of a child's being via external drills and discipline," says Wilder, owner of West Seattle Karate Academy.

"This makes a child more confident, (which) carries over into how a kid holds himself in the world. Bullies are predators by nature and prefer the weak as prey. A confident child is less likely to be a victim, and martial arts provides this platform for creating a resilient, confident child."

When it's not what it seems. A Los Angeles couple brought their daughter to child psychologist Wendy Mogel because she was getting bullied in school. It turned out the girl was provoking other kids to bully her because she was jealous of the amount of attention her parents gave her little brother.

"She found she could get a tremendous amount of attention with a daily download of bullying and less attention would be paid to her adorable little brother," says Mogel, author of "The Blessing of a B Minus: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Resilient Teenagers" and other books. "When they stopped rewarding her, it stopped. I advised them to catch her being strong and pay attention to that behavior."

from: Kid Safe

Police said Bill Stanton, who declined to say who hired him, won't have access to any case files related to their search for Lisa Irwin because he isn't law enforcement. He also doesn't appear to be licensed as a private investigator in Missouri as required when acting in that capacity.

"He will have access to anything the general public has access to," Kansas City police spokesman Capt. Steve Young said.

When asked by the Associated Press if he has handled a missing child case, Stanton said he couldn't detail cases involving children, then responded "Google me" when asked to discuss any of his past cases. He said he has worked as a consultant for "major media organizations," and the website for a consulting firm that lists him as a founding partner said he was a New York police officer before moving into private investigative work.

Lisa's parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, reported their daughter missing early Oct. 4, saying she disappeared from her crib at their single-story home sometime overnight as her mother slept in a nearby room.

Hundreds of local, state and federal investigators have been looking for the child ever since, scouring through hundreds of tips and repeatedly searching the family's neighborhood, nearby woods, sewers and a landfill. But police said they have no suspects or solid leads.

Stanton said a wealthy "benefactor" connected to a family member asked him to get involved and acknowledged the family didn't hire him. Stanton said he would fly in other people on Thursday, but wouldn't elaborate.

"I am hopeful this child is safe and alive," Stanton said. "I don't want to make this about me."He said he would be managing any media inquiries directed at the family, which family members confirmed. They said he had their support.

On Wednesday, detectives using all-terrain vehicles and tracking dogs searched a heavily wooded area a few blocks from the home, but it turned up nothing. Young said more than 40 detectives, along with the FBI and other police departments, are working the case.

What Stanton could offer the investigation is unclear.  Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said his organization doesn't work with private investigators and had not heard of Stanton.

"Families in these situations are desperate and feel the need to do anything they can possibly do," Allen said. "I hope he helps them."

Jimmie Mesis, editor-in-chief of New Jersey-based PI Magazine, a trade magazine for private investigators, said he has heard of Stanton. He said Stanton's involvement could be troublesome if he interferes with witnesses, but he also could keep a national spotlight on the case — even if that attention is focused on "Wild Bill," a moniker for which Stanton has become popular.

"With Bill, one benefit, because he has celebrity status as a private investigator, the media is going to be interested in seeing what he's doing," Mesis said. Later, he added, "He's putting his reputation on the line, too."

from: Kid Safe

I have found that even I, Kid Safe blogger, have become a little jaded to all the daily reports of missing children, then the next day they are found safe and sound by someone within the family usually taken by another family member and just a "lack of communication" or worse news that for some reason i choose not to add to this site. 

Today, this was a revelation for me.  If I am "just a blogger" and have this attitude, what must the police think when they get these calls?  The investigators that deal with this on a daily basis.  I know for me the whole Casey Anthony tragedy really upset me in a different way than the Amber Dubois case effected me.  You see I lived in Escondido when Amber Dubois went missing and I was working at Kid Safe and was HORRIFIED that they would not issue an "Amber Alert", they did not take the case seriously "for reasons unknown to the public".  I was deeply entrenched in the case, it was personal for me.  I lived and worked in the community and I take my position at CEN very seriously.  I felt that if "we" couldn't even get an Amber Alert issued in our own home town how could we proclaim to be the national source for Child Safety?  

I wrote more posts on the her case than any other case in the last 5 years.  I was asked to remove several of my posts, as they were derogatory towards the Escondido Police Department and it was creating a "negative" affect on the case.  So i acquiesced, against my personal feelings and judgement, "for the better good" of the company.  And NO the requests to take the posts down did not come from within CEN and CEN management left the decision up to me.   i just wanted her found.  I wanted her case taken seriously, I wanted her parents to have some peace, I was angry for them and obviously I took it all very personally.  

So when I read this report today, I remembered reading about it last week when I had chosen NOT to post it because I "assumed" the child would be found the next day and by the time the KidSafe readers got around to reading it, it would be old news or worse, I would have a stronger "story" to write about.

Then I got to the last paragraph of this report and really started to question myself, my commitment to keeping children safe, what constitutes a "story" with me, the "Content Manager" of KidSafe.com. 

Below is an excerpt from the AP "story" released today which I have scheduled to post before this one that I am writing now.  I decided to separate the posts because I don't want my personal story to effect the readers mind of the missing child report.  All Missing Child Reports MUST be taken seriously, Must be judged as TRUE "Kidnapping's" until found otherwise, by the police, the governments, the schools, the extended family, the friends AND the media, including "bloggers" like myself who proclaim to be concerned with the safety of Children.  

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A New York-based security consultant who said he was hired by a wealthy benefactor to help search for a missing baby in Kansas City got little response Wednesday from police who have been looking for the child for more than a week……….

…………."With Bill, one benefit, because he has celebrity status as a private investigator, the media is going to be interested in seeing what he's doing," Mesis said. Later, he added, "He's putting his reputation on the line, too."

A year after the Amber Dubois Kidnapping, she was found, sadly, not alive, and not a story I like to talk about very much. 

from: Kid Safe

I know you are probably thinking why would we have Lady Gaga on Kidsafe.com?  Well, no matter what your thoughts are on her performances, or her music, or even her as a person,she does write a lot about believing in yourself and letting your "weirdness" be OK.  Kids have a lot of trouble with their identity in High School, just as she did, and that is where a lot of her music comes from is those akward years when you are trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be. 

Cyberbullying, bullying in general and hate crimes are horrible and have sent children to their death bed way too early.  This is not the first cyberbullying suicide we have reported on Kidsafe.com this year and unfortunately I don't think it will be the last suicide we discuss due to cyberbullies or any kind of bullying or abuse for that matter.

I think she has done a wonderful thing here to bring attention to the problems, issues and tragedies of cyberbullying and their victims.

Here is what she has to say about cyberbullying and high school tragedies.

 "We lost a Little Monster this week," Gaga said, displaying a video of Jamey. His "It Gets Better" video mentioned Gaga and her music several times as he discussed the things that helped him get through the school day.

Before he ended his life, Jamey wrote to Gaga. "@LadyGaga Bye, Mother Monster. Thank you for all you have done, paws up forever," he tweeted.

"I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school," Gaga said. "So tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us, and you're not a victim. You're a lesson to all of us. I know it's a bit of a downer, but sometimes the right thing is more important than the music."

During the song, an emotional Gaga turned to the crowd and said, "Bullying is for losers." She's vowed to meet with the president to establish anti-bullying laws. "I will not stop fighting. This must end," she tweeted. "Our generation has the power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey."

Here is Lady Gaga's  performance at the IHeartRadio concert and her dedication to cyberbullying victim Jayme as well as her vow to help put an end to these horrible tragedies.

What is your experience with Teen Suicide and Cyberbullying?

Do you think we as a society can do more to prevent such tragedies? Did you read Rising Threat to Kids

Because you’re a parent and an influencer, I wanted to share some important info on a serious danger to small children when swallowed – coin lithium button batteries.

Electronic devices are a part of daily life. And they’re getting smaller, slimmer and sleeker. But inside the battery compartment of mini remote controls, small calculators, watches, key fobs, flameless candles, singing greeting cards and other electronics, is a very powerful coin-sized button battery. When swallowed, these batteries can get stuck in the throat and cause severe burns in as few as two hours.

Small children often have easy access to these devices, parents often don’t know about the risk and little ones can’t always communicate with adults.

The Battery Controlled is a partnership to raise awareness about the severity of the issue and share information with parents, caregivers and the medical community. Launched by Energizer andSafe Kids USA, this effort is committed to helping parents prevent children from swallowing coin-sized button batteries. There are three main points we hope you’ll share with your readers:

1. Keep out of reach. Devices with coin lithium “button” batteries have no place in unsupervised hands or toy boxes.

2. Get help fast. Life-threatening damage can happen in as few as 2 hours.

3. Tell others.

·         Start by taking “The Pledge” today.

·         Tweet @BatteryControl:

o   Sample Tweet 1 – PSA: Energizer raising awareness about button batteries. Serious injuries for small kids. Learn morewww.thebatterycontrolled.com

o   Sample Tweet 2 – Plz be careful. Small kids swallowing button batteries. Injuries & deaths reported. www.thebatterycontrolled.com#batterycontrol

·         Share the facts or this compelling video with your friends on Facebook.

Here are links to two recent news stories on the issue:

·         Washington Post

·         Time Magazine

You can also share these images from The Battery Controlled website (links to download pics will be live for next two days):

·         Actual X-ray

·         Toddler with Devices

·         Toddler Handling Mini Remote

·         Car Key and Remote

·         Calculator

By Bob Riha Jr., USA TODAY

Child-safety advocates say identity thieves and pedophiles are taking advantage of kids' infatuation with mobile devices and apps. The Federal Trade Commission last month announced a $50,000 settlement with app maker W3 Innovations for collecting and dispersing information of kids under 13 in violation of the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, or COPPA.

Earlier this year the FTC wrested a record $3 million settlement from online game developer Playdom, now a division of Disney, for similar COPPA violations. Child-safety advocates say identity thieves and pedophiles have begun taking advantage of youngsters' increasing infatuation with mobile devices and Web apps.

"Children are using these services more and more, opening themselves up to more information disclosures," says Andrew Serwin, chairman of the privacy practice at law firm Foley & Lardner. "And there's more and more mobile services directed to children, as well." W3 Innovations published Emily's Girl World, Emily's Dress Up and Emily's Runway High Fashion, online services which encouraged kids to create virtual models and outfits and e-mail a fictitious character named Emily with comments and blog posts.

Apple iPhone and iPad users downloaded Emily apps more than 50,000 times. "We want to make it crystal clear, to app developers and to others in this new mobile space, that we believe the protection under COPPA is not platform specific," says David Vladeck, director of the FTC's consumer protection bureau.

"If you can't do it online, you can't do it in an app."

FTC staff is hammering out revisions to COPPA rules likely to include different guidelines for verifying parental permission for kids to use certain apps, and specific rules to protect children using Internet-connected mobile devices, Serwin says.

Meanwhile, more children than ever are using mobile devices and spending longer hours socializing online and and using cool Web apps designed to gather data in support of selling advertising. A recent survey by anti-virus firm AVG found roughly half of children ages 6 through 9 regularly interact with friends online, yet 58% of their parents admitted to not being knowledgeable about social networks.

Rising commercial pressures for kids to get online add to already intense peer pressures, says Hanan Lavy, CEO of child security software maker United Parents. Facebook is open to those 13 or older, though a recent Consumer Reports survey found 7.5 million Facebook users 12 and under. And Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he would like to formally extend Facebook to kids. "

The risks to children from social networking at an early age are numerous," Lavy says. "As pedophiles become more technologically sophisticated, they're able to find and connect with kids easier than with previous methods." More time spent online also means higher risk of children getting exposed to inappropriate content and advertising. Identity thieves target minors' names and Social Security numbers to create bogus credit accounts with a lower likelihood of getting discovered.

Get your free internet safety reports here

Geddes (WSYR-TV) — A program intended to help find missing children may be in jeopardy. Many parents make a point of getting a child ID card, photos and fingerprints taken. They are then stored in a police database to help find missing children.

As with many things lately, money is the issue. The New York State Sheriff's Association puts more than 50,000 kids in the database across the state each year. By far, the biggest venue, where most parents sign up is the New York State Fair. After this year, we’re told federal funding is going to disappear.

Tracey Ike has brought her 7-year-old to the fair for three years running. Each time, Aidan updates his picture and fingerprints with Operation Safe Child.

"It is something that we always look for. I always want to have a record on me, just in case, God forbid, something should ever happen to him," explained Tracey.

That's music to the ears of the New York State Sheriff's Association, which serviced a record number of children here last year. They took over operations when budget cuts forced State Police to back out last year. Next year, a $50,000 grant they rely on, won't be renewed.

Mark Anderson with the NYS Sheriff's Association told NewsChannel 9, "We're convinced that somebody out there, some corporate sponsor, sees the value of this and is going to help us out. We don't know who that might be at this time, but we're going to look high and low and find somebody."

Working now with an outdated system and no new funding, Anderson is still dreaming about upgrades that would include cards for seniors with dementia and the mentally disabled…if he can get 75 new units at a cost of $5,000 apiece. For parents, the benefits are priceless.

One mom said, "There's definitely other things that could definitely be cut before this and yeah, I'd be disappointed. If it's something that could save my kid., then, it's something worth keeping."

"It's disconcerting actually, because it's really the only lace that we come into contact with somebody being able to fingerprint him and take his picture. So, a little bit sad about that, you know,” Tracey continued.

As of right now, there is no Federal funding for the next year, but Anderson is determined to return here somehow. If he gets the money for his upgrade, it would be in effect within two months, and seniors and the mentally disabled could get cards at the Fair next year. 

 

So what can you do?

• Keep a lock of hair for your child
• Take pictures often especially if their hair changes or as they get older and seem to change overnight
• Take mental notes of what you child is wearing when you take them to school or drop them off somewhere
• Know where your kids are playing, on-line and off-line
• Know your child's friends, their parents, and their phone numbers and even their online identitites
• Keep an open dialog with your kids about safety, who to call if there is trouble, how to protect themselves, to run from strangers and all the other stuff that all parents should be talking with their kids about on a daily basis. 

I know some of you are thinking – Why are you telling me this, I know all this stuff and I do all this stuff, I am a good parent?  We get busy in our lives, school schedules, soccer, cheerleading, football, homework, our jobs, our marriages, multiple children, cars, groceries, utility bills, etc.

This is just a reminder that it our own responsiblity to keep our kids safe.  Just because you registered your child in a database somewhere does not mean that they will be protected.  Those databases are for "after the child is missing" they are not Proactive in protecting your child.  

No parent wants to admit that their child could be a cruel and hurtful cyber-bully, but obviously if there are victims of cyber bullying then there must be perpetrators of the crime. I hope you find this article of great value and would love to see your comments and thoughts! 

"Children resort to cyberbullying for many of the same reasons they resort to any type of bullying — to gain power, to retaliate and to harm others," Logan said. "The 'cyberworld' may be seen as ideal due to the anonymity it provides and the ability to reach a larger audience."

If you discover your child is a cyberbully, calmly talk to him or her. Don't lecture. Don't talk at or down to the child, but have an honest and open conversation that focuses primarily on why the child turned to cyberbullying.

"The power of words and how they are used is taking a whole new turn with the advent of online and other digital communication between children today," said Weiner. "Helping children to take time to cool down and deal with their anger or frustration before they respond online is an important step."

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As September approaches, many future and current

 students are getting ready to start or already have started school. For some, it is their first day; for others, it is just another step towards building their future. Whatever the case may be, fathers are encouraged to take their children back to school to show them support, lessen their stress, and exhibit pride and confidence in their transition to education and life. The Fatherhood Educational Institute proudly supports the Million Father March 2011, which has reached 757 cities in the US.

"Fathers who play an active role in the lives of their children have a precious gift – they care; they know that education is extremely important for the development of their children and it is critical for them to be there when their children take their first steps in the right direction," says leading fathers' rights attorney, author and fatherJeffery M. Leving.

In his book, Fathers' Rights, Leving analyzes the critical involvement of fathers. He explains how the presence of a father stimulates his children to excel at school and be more attentive. Furthermore, involved fathers decrease the likelihood of suspension, crime, violent behavior, use of drugs, and alcohol.

"When I was a kid, getting ready to start my first day at school, my dad took me by the hand and said: 'Let's go son!' It is those words that I took with me throughout my education, knowing that I was safe. A boy can't be what he can't see," shares Leving.

Children deserve to have their father's support as they return to school. It can be compared to being at a school play or at a first Little League game. The strength provided to a child as dad provides a "back up" of confidence cannot be substituted.

A lot of responsibility comes with being a father, but there is also a lot of joy. For those teen and young fathers who need more information and resources that can help them parent and safeguard their children, there are free online resources available at the Fatherhood Educational Institute (http://fatherhood-edu.org).

For more information, please contact the Fatherhood Educational Institute at 312-795-9060 ormail@fatherhood-edu.org.

Here is the article – Please comment below and let us know your thoughts!

 

A little neighbor girl disappeared when I was about 8 or 10, and a good part of our Indiana farm town turned out to look for her. It was one for all and all for one in the village of Mount Summit, where pretty much every person knew every child on sight. No description required.

The drama continued for a while, until somebody thought to search the closets of the Johnsons' house. Jennifer was safe and sound asleep in one of them.

This was around 1960, a time at least perceived as more innocent. A missing child was cause for the kind of alarm that roused the neighbors, not necessarily the police. I don't remember Jennifer's frantic parents calling the sheriff, although I suppose they would have gotten around to it if she hadn't turned up so soon.

Crime was not so much on our minds then. I might head out on my bicycle early in the morning, check in at lunch and dinner, and be out who-knows-where until long after dark in a town that, while tiny, was cut two ways by busy highways.

Did anybody pause to consider how ripe I was for abduction, and how many hours I could be gone before anybody noticed? I don't think so. And, compared with many of my friends, I had a hovering mother.

So how long would I need to have been gone before my mom would be prosecuted for not calling the cops? Odd as the question might sound, some lawmakers in Illinois — including Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Glen Carbon — are proposing a legal deadline: 24 hours.

The sponsors are among leaders in several states motivated by the case of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, missing in Florida for about 30 days in 2008 before her mother, Casey Anthony, claimed a nanny made off with the girl. Cops decided the nanny never existed and charged the mother with murder even before the child's body was found.

A jury decided in July that Casey Anthony was not guilty of murder, an outcome that many people found incredible and that raised the question of why an innocent mother would wait a month to report her child was missing. (At trial, the defense claimed, but offered no evidence, that what she really hid was knowledge of her daughter's accidental death.)

In any event, those circumstances were widely considered an outrage, and an outrage surely demands some kind of action.

Hence, Illinois House Bill 3800, which would make it a felony to fail to call law enforcement if a child under age 13 in your care is missing more than 24 hours.

You're probably asking yourself right about now what kind of parent — Casey Anthony notwithstanding — would need to be compelled by fear of prison to do such an obvious thing.

I also wonder about that, and whether a law would make any difference.

The most common killers of children are the victims' parents. It's awful, but that's the way things are. If the parent is responsible for the disappearance, what difference will the law make? In such a case, the circumstances reported to police — including the time given for the disappearance — will certainly be self-serving.

But if it is a real kidnapping, 24 hours would be way too long. Studies show that the vast majority of children taken by strangers and killed are dead within the first day.

Besides, Illinois already makes it a felony to lose track of a child under 13 in your care for more than 24 hours.

The reporting requirement might even do some harm.

Consider an instance in which a parent decides on Thursday to tell police that nobody has seen Junior since Tuesday. Oops. A friend points out that such a reporting delay is a Class 4 felony. That could mean prison time. So the police get told that Junior disappeared on Wednesday, a lie that could doom the whole investigation.

Admittedly, this would not be a very good parent. But the legislation is, by its nature, aimed at not-very-good parents.

The bill looks like an example of a laudable intent that fails to heed a salient warning provided by humorist Will Rogers almost 80 years ago: "You can't legislate intelligence and common sense into people."

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/pat-gauen/article_b0c31b94-bf49-589a-aefc-b8e693061cb5.html#ixzz1W6TfIfYC

Does your child text? Does he or she drive? Chances are they’re doing both at the same time. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 40 percent of drivers reported they're on theircellphones while driving at least a few times per week, and 19 percent talk daily. As a result, 22 percent of car accidents in 2009 were caused by cellphone usage.

Since adults can’t seem to stop themselves from deadly in-car multitasking, it’s probably not realistic to expect your teen to refrain from using his or her phone while driving.

Fortunately there are solutions that automatically kick in when the car starts rolling. These solutions come in two basic types:

Cellphone applications 
Apps such as T-Mobile's DriveSmart Plus and Key2SafeDriving sense when you’re driving, usually by GPS measuring your speed, and disable most or all of your phone's functionality once a pre-determined speed is reached.

All offer some sort of emergency override and passenger-usage exceptions, and some include Web-based cell-phone-use monitoring. You can opt into receiving messages whenever the app is overridden for cell phone use while driving.

Once the module is triggered by car usage, a signal disables your phone. Another set of solutions uses a Bluetooth module to enable all-voice and text-to-speech capabilities.

Combination hardware/apps 
These solutions work like the stand-alone apps, except instead of relying on GPS to sense car usage, a small module gets attached to a part of your car such as the emergency brake or the OBD (on-board diagnostics) module.

Here is an article I found today that really emphasizes the importance of reading beyond homework. 

The Missing Back-to-School Supply

Florida gets tough and proactive on finding, and arresting child predators across multiple states.  This was a very successful campaign and it is our hope that other states and law enforcement follow their operation. 

Nearly 30 people are under arrest for child-porn and child-exploitation after a joint federal crackdown.

The arrests stem all over Central Florida and even into other states. It was a joint operation of local, state and federal agents cracking down on those authorities are calling sexual predators. They say these men were preying on children enjoying their summer vacation.

"Kids are going to be out we know people are going to be on the internet," said Brevard County Sheriff Lt. Tod Goodyear. "Lets put something together lets actively go after them."

It was dubbed Operation Safe Summer. It went from late May to the end of July. Finally on Thursday, the last of the 26 so-called predators were under arrest, facing charges of child pornography, traveling to have sex with a minor and other crimes that will likely land them in federal prison.

Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker was at a news conference announcing the arrests. "The way offenders today are able to migrate across jurisdictions and use computer technology to affect and impact our children who are living in other areas we have to work together," he said.

Standing out in this crowd is a Information Technology worker with Brevard Public Schools, a Lieutenant from the Kentucky State Police, and registered sex offenders. Authorities also say they found thousands of pictures, files, and videos of child porn on their computers.

"Removing these predators from access to children is one of the most important responsibilities we have," said Susan McCormick, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. They also put possible predators on alert.

"You can not hide, we will find you. we will arrest you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," McCormick said.

This operation was initiated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide inititative combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.