I like to fancy myself a modern, liberal mom — I let Winter use the word “crap,” she can pick her own clothes no matter how ugly or mis-matched, and we joke about menstruation and body parts. So, I don’t plan on purchasing any web filter software.
My first plan of action was to guide Winter to a proper search engine where she won’t find pornographic images. MSN provides a kid search at http://kids.msn.com. To be safe, I conducted a few searches, one using the word “penis.” The search engine would not allow me to look at any images, but I found more than any kid should read or see.
Listed in the search for “penis” was a link to the “Urban Dictionary,” which is meant to be lewdly humorous for adults, but if a child read the following definition, he or she is subjected to information that encourages overly aggressive sexism. According to the “Urban Dictionary,” the definition of penis is “the tool used to wean and convert lesbians and virgins into useful, productive members of society.” This was accompanied by a photo of a penis built out of snow.
Many of us can have a good laugh at this definition, but if a child read it, taking it as serious as the Websters, what effect does that have? And more importantly, how do we keep our children from encountering this if even a kid’s search can’t filter out the “Urban Dictionary?”
I know, I know. This is no new crisis.
But it is for me. And I have come up with several ways to combat this problem.
First I set up a favorites list just for Winter with all the websites she likes. Then I pulled out my “Miracle of Life” book and showed her the dreaded picture — the one with the baby’s head crowning as it’s being born. Hey, we all saw the video at school, and it scared us into celibacy — at least for a little while, right?
She, of course, was revolted at the sight. “Winter, there are many, many pictures on the Internet that look like this. If you don’t want to see them, only go to the links in your favorites list. If you want to look up a word, use the dictionary on the bookshelf. Anything else you want to know, ask me.” The plan worked. She was so horrified by the “Miracle of Life” picture she refuses to Google another word.
In all seriousness, though, Winter is allowed to be online for a designated time span and I am right next to her making sure she doesn’t wander off to forbidden pages. Parental supervision cannot be substituted with a web filter. You must communicate with your child and spend time to make sure the information is digested. There’s no need to bring in the FCC!