We've all heard the song before, but did you ever stop to listen to the warning?
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see...
the song continues to say...
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
For the Father up above
is looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
What we see, say and do matters and can greatly affect us.
Well, you can imagine my thoughts when I heard about this MoMo thing on YouTube kids' videos. My children haven't seen nor heard anything about this until they were talking to some friends. They were clueless to hear how this "creature" would pop out of regular YT kids' videos. Even with the news about pedophiles creating an underground environment preying on children. It's disgusting yet I am not blind to the knowledge that children are under attack. The rising numbers of childhood suicide and missing children cases are enough to keep my ears and eyes open to what I allow my children to watch in their spare time or even who they hang out with. While it is not humanly possible to track everything your children watch or do, you can instill values and boundaries for them. You have that huge responsibility to do the best you can to ensure safety and innocence.
It is said the "Kids test boundaries to learn... Parents enforce boundaries to teach." Of course, children test boundaries, they should. It's apart of their development! Without boundaries, the world will be worst off than it already is. Children dislike rules but they're in place to protect them.
One way to ensure their well-being and protecting their eyes and ears will be communication. We talk with our children constantly about EVERYTHING. Something I wished I'd experienced growing up. When children are comfortable to talk with their parents about anything, the less likely outside influences won't interfere. They may try, but it won't work.
Teach internet safety. As soon as I began homeschooling my children, one of the first lessons they learned was internet safety. Majority of their work is online and they must be computer literate to navigate the world wide web. Here's a great resource on internet safety. (click here)
Spending quality time with your children. I can't stress this enough. Since I've been homeschooling my children, I've learned so much about them. I've also learned that even friends can negatively influence your children. With my children being home, I can easily see when something's off about them. Attitudes may differ if they are with friends whether it's at church or just regular outdoor play. Issues are easily addressed because I can easily recognize the difference. Now, every family isn't afforded the opportunity to home school their children, but what you can do is give them your undivided attention and time.
Monitor the apps and games your children use. Even some of the child-friendly games can have questionable themes and users.
Set online time. We utilize Microsoft screen time. We set the number of hours our children are allowed a day on their computers and laptops as well as block websites that would try to lure them elsewhere. If you aren't internet savvy, I'd suggest to just take the devices in the evening. When my little sisters come over, the internet is going off or I'm taking devices.
Limit online time. Idle minds get in trouble fast. Even if most of your child's work is online (like mine), you have to give them brain breaks often. Keep your children's minds sharp with tactile activities. Go to the library, read books, art projects, the GREAT OUTDOORS. Possibilities are endless!
This post by no means is trying to tell you how to raise your children. I understand we all have busy lives and each child is entertained differently, but what I will suggest is that we are all mindful of our children, no matter what they do. We are responsible for our children. We have a responsibility for them. This can be compared to the lesson in the bible the Eli was taught. Because he neglected his parental rights and duties to his children by not correcting their bad behavior from the very beginning, God punished Eli by cutting off his favor and as a sign that God meant what He said, Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas would die the very same day. (Ref. 1 Samuel 2)
We cannot neglect our rights and duties to our children. What we say and do with our children is what will last. It's our choice if what we do or say will reap good fruit.
