Detective...

I've been a detective with Miss T and her Internet access. Jeepers! Teenagers. Look, I think she is so much more tech savvy than me but, heck, I'm giving her a run for her money.

We have rules that her and I agreed to. Conveniently forgotten by one of us. Internet is ruling her life. And ruining it but she is not aware of this aspect and to what degree.

So, with a little help from a well seasoned expert I have been digging deeper. While she has not been hugely inappropriate, she can be accused of being very niaive. Very niaive.

The biggest problem is that not enough emphasis is given to "World Wide" in the web. Photos and comments are for all to see. Forever. Including prospective employers. Okay, I know teenagers don't think like that, that is what us guardians are for. To see outside the here and now.

Miss T likes posting photos of herself in bikinis and probably also likes the positive comments that come with such photos. This is what concerns me the most. Positive reinforcement from people who don't know her based on superficial attributes. Self esteem cannot be based on something so superficial. To try to get this message across is falling on deaf ears. But the words are being heard so hopefully will be remembered. Photos identifying her are not on which is a breach of the contract we originally drew up together so consequences have been enforced.

I have taken the step of barring Internet access on her phone. Perhaps to be reinstated at a later stage but perhaps not. We searched her Instagram pages together and looked at followers and comments. She was horrified that I knew so much. Keep some tricks up your sleeve I say!!

I didn't ban her from Instagram because I think to do so would teach her to be deceptive. But I will enforce the rules and insist she conforms or faces the consequences. To her I often say this:

"With more independence comes more responsibility"

I use this whenever I can. I tell her if she can't handle the responsibility she can't have the independence. Simple as that.

Feel free to use it dear Bloggers. Lets baffle them with logic and calmness.


Ciao for now



just Martha xxx





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