Worry, worry is a waste of time, everyone agrees with this I am sure…..but we all still do it. We worry about money, family, children, weather, looks, weight. The list is endless!
However, we usually worry about what has already happened or what is going to happen. Both of which are not ‘now’ so we are either living in the past or living in the future.
I know as a child I worried all the time – I worried about the kids at school picking on me because I smelled, or my clothes were torn or my hair was such a mess. Would they call me names again, would they laugh at me again, would they pick a fight with me again.
I worried about going home, would I get shouted at, get beaten, be sent to bed without dinner, would I see my dad, what would happen to me when I got home.
Children today still worry about all the things I worried about when I was a child but now they have to worry about being cyberbullied, cyber embarrassed, and cyber kidnapped.
Do you know how many of the children around you worry about sex abuse?
1 in 4 girls (25%) will be sexually assaulted before they reach the age of 18.
1 in 6 boys (17%) will be sexually assaulted before they reach the age of 18.
67% of all the rape victims in the U.S. are children under the age of 18.
34% of all the rape victims in the U.S. are under the age of 12.
93% of sexually victimized children know their abuser.
39% of sexually victimized children are abused by a family member.
1/3 of sexually victimized children are abused by other children.
According to the FBI, there are an estimated 50,000 predators online at any given moment, all looking for potential victims. This is in my opinion is one of the most worrying things for parents and guardians.
We must remember that “online” is much more than spending time on the computer. Now smartphones and even video games are completely connected to the outside world. Parents must understand that if the ability exists for communication with children, predators are there. Worry about this!!!!!
What can help overcome worry which translates into stress which translates into physical challenges. Health is important for all of us no matter what age we are.
Here are some safety tips to help keep your child’s online experience safer:
Do not allow your child to have a computer with Internet access in their bedroom or any area that is private. Move it into the family room or someplace where you can easily see the activity.
Set time restraints.
Do not allow your child to spend hour after hour online.
Check history and consider installing tracking software as well as parental controls. If your child is “wiping” the history every time, then you should find out why.
Spend time with your child online. This does so many things including giving you quality time with your child. Explore together! Teach your kids that when they come across any material that makes them feel uncomfortable, scared, or confused to immediately tell you or another trusted adult.
Teach your kids to never open emails from people they do not know in person.
Live in the moment, easy to say I know, but worry truly is a waste of time and robs us of our future and most importantly the present.
As an adult, if you are doing the best you can with the information and resources at your disposal then there is nothing to worry about. If you are a child things are out of your control unless you tell a trusted adult about the things you are worrying about.
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