Saturday June 7, 2008, 1:34 pm
Why is it not safe anymore? What is wrong with society?

Saturday June 7, 2008, 10:42 pm
The trouble with this sort of safety measure is that it breeds a suspicious cowardly fearful child who does not trust others. This is a damaging spinoff. Collateral damage as those in authority with these traits would say.
I and my siblings roamed the streets and underground stormwater drains and beaches and parks and unbuilt on building lots and even went wild on a farm once where we arranged rodeos with rather dangerous bullocks and went for miles bareback and with no saddle or bridle on the local horses and mules which were trained to be ridden that way- Result we had some initiative and some faith in ourselves and others.

And yes when we lived for a short while next to a funpark I was probably technically molested but since I had not been warned I took it as another odd piece of adult behaviour and it was not till years later I recalled it.

Since Ihave had to make my own way since-technically I suppose since I was fourteen- I have reason to be grateful for my introduction into the real world earlier.
You cannot protect your children forever- childhood itself is a victorian invention- Gradually acclimatizing them to reality by letting them roam seems to me a good idea and this includes roaming on the internet. One advantage of seeing too much porn is that it is really boring.
Try a porn festival yourself and you will see how quickly the frisson wears off- Teaching kids to really read ,play music ,do Art ,make small videos ,learn science and maths and experiment with it - build something permanet out the back and learn how to do organic gardening and mulching and grow their own food and fish and hunt and keep pets-is far more likely to keep your kids safe.
You can download kiddies classics for themlike Alice in Wonderland , Swift Family Robinson, Winnie the Poo,Gullivers travels , Grimm's Fairy Tales,Wind in the Willows Scarlet Pimpernel Quentin Derwent Robinson Crusoe Steveson's books or buy Enid Blytons five or seven series
or mark Twain's Tom Sawyer Kiplings Jungle Book , The second Jungle Book ,or KIm also Aesop's Fables Kim , Tom Jones , Roderick Random, The water Babies Christmas Carol grekk legends Homer and in their teens translations of plutarch Plato Cicero Montaign Voltaireand perhaps Caesers Campaigns or TE Lawrence Seven Pillars of Wisdom any of Saint Expury's books including the little Prince also encourage them to keep a written journal learn to program learn how to build a computer
learn Multi media programs like Flash and keep a blog on line - Even a six year old can keep a blog
Most of the classics I have mentioned deal with courage and with loyalty and with survival and with human nature . Reading them and doing some at least of the things I have suggested builds a child with something between their own ears and this is where in the end all protection must come from