Motherhood in the Age of Technology

Yikes - check out this story on Fox news: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536294,00.html

This is exactly why I refuse to post pictures on various public sites like Picasa, blogs, face book, My Space and others. Besides the countless technology savvy predators out there, this type of thing scares the beggious out of me. Am I being paranoid? Overprotective? How do we as mothers live in the Age of Information and Technology with some semblance of common sense.

Let's face it. Do a little digging, and you'll be shocked at what you might find. We can't live in fear, but we can be cautious. We can be smart. We can be knowledgeable. I don't all in all object to some of these sites where people can share their lives with others in an instant. I think in some cases, it actually could be helpful. HOWEVER, you must be educated on what exactly you are doing, who might actually have access to it, it is public, private? Know what the site does with all the info it gathers. Questions such as these are mandatory when using your common sense.

No matter what, there are risks involved in our every day activities, a trip to the grocery store can, in one flash of a second, turn into a trip to the ER when the cart tips over....We are not immune to tragedy, or predators that might follow you through the store. But what we DO have is that God given instinct to protect, keep them close, divert their eyes, walk a bit faster, pick them up when necessary.

Back when I had just one kid, a baby at the time, 6 or 9 months old....I was at a Church (not sure of denomination) rummage sale. You'd think the safest place in the world. I walked through the inside sale, and found myself being followed through the aisles. For some reason I was alone in a back corner area....holding my baby in my arms. I had a sick feeling in my stomach all of a sudden, and then I turned the corner, to find the man who was following me, ready to greet me suddenly. He said "What a beautiful baby"....as I kept walking past him I murmured "thanks"....and right then, he stretched out his arms, assuming I would let him hold her....he said "Let me take the baby for you, so you can shop". My stomach churned....."Hum, no thanks, I'm leaving." He insisted, "Please? I'd love to hold her." I said a firm "No." And in one swift motion turned my back to his ready arms physically making contact with him to avoid his hands on my child. I never walked so fast.

This incident opened my eyes. Big time. This wasn't the last time something strange like this has happened. Too many times, I have felt that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I thank God for that instinct....that "something isn't right" feeling. Trust it, ladies. God gave you that gift so you might protect your little ones from harm.

So let us use our common sense, not in fear, but the recognition of a certain truth: There are those out there who can't be trusted. We live in a pagan age....we must understand that, and act accordingly when the situation presents itself. We are our kids last line of defense.

Below is a link to a Dr. Laura site - thought it had good info on social networking sites and things to look for:
http://www.drlaura.com/sah/sahd.html?mode=view&tile=1&id=18269

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S.tay A.t H.ome M.om at Work

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