Home Network and Chatting Children

[Chris Haynes]

10, 14, 16 --- and only for as long as we pay the bills.

edited to add: I moved out on my own when I was 17. I plan, even over hubby's objections, to move into a one bedroom house within the next 11 years so they cannot move back.

 

[Smike]

Interestingly enough, AOL lets you limit the interent acces time per day for a particluar user. It may also be able limit the log-on times.

But as AOL sucks, I wouldn't recommend this solution unless you already have AOL.

Reading through my previous post, "juts" should be read as "just" and "wired" should be read as "wierd". Or did you figure that out by yourself?

 

[SkepticJohn]

I plan, even over hubby's objections, to move into a one bedroom house within the next 11 years so they cannot move back.

That's a loving mother if I ever saw one.

 

[a_unique_person]

That's a loving mother if I ever saw one.

No, that is the modern reality. While children seemed to be eager to fly the coop at the earliest opportunity in days gone by, now they are quite happy to hang around till 30.

As to a solution to the problem, look up Enuff. It is a software solution, but, of course, as it is software that runs on the windows computer, a child wizz can work out means of getting around it. If your children are the average computer users, it will work fine. If they are budding hackers, you will have to go the hardware route. (But if they are that good, they will be able to fiddle the hardware too). Licenses in US$ are quite reasonable.

If you want to, you can download a free 30 day trial straight from the internet. http://www.akrontech.com/ Costs you nothing, if the kids haven't cracked it in 30 days, it may be just what you want.

 

[a_unique_person]

10, 14, 16 --- and only for as long as we pay the bills.

edited to add: I moved out on my own when I was 17. I plan, even over hubby's objections, to move into a one bedroom house within the next 11 years so they cannot move back.

The saddest thing you see, the kids who moved out at 19, 20, etc, then move back at 30 or so. Broke, dope smoking, can't hold down a job, or a relationship. And they'll sleep on the couch, you'll have to move into a bedsit, I'm afraid.

 

[SkepticJohn]

Are you actually legally bound to help out your kids after they turn 18 over there?

If not, people just need to learn how to say enough is enough, and No.

And if they pay their bills, what's the problem? Having them in your house/life? Sign a legal document with them as you would with anyone who'd rent a room, that way you can legally kick them out if there are any problems.

Also I'd like to add that this is probably a bigger issue over in say USA, doesn't seem very common over here in europe that kids live at their parents' place that long.

If you don't love your kids enough to help them out when needed (broke, failed relationship, got fired), why'd ya have kids in the first place? Seemed like a good idea at the time? Or maybe you're a bad parent since you couldn't bring em up to be responsible adults. *chuckles*

 

[Chris Haynes]

You know there is a book called Scandinavian Humor and other Myths that is very popular with my Wisconsin/Minnesota relatives. There seems to be some truth to it. (This family branch has a French/Canadian grandmother who put in her recipe book a section called "Norwegian Delicacies" and then left it blank.)


Well, last night we did unplug the router to get two kids off to bed. It is a nightmare to wake them up in the morning and get them to school.

There seems to be this notion that in order to do well in school they need a certain amount of sleep... and in order to do well in life they need to do well in school. And, yes... they will have their university years paid for by their parents (if you added up the numbers you would have seen it was set about the time the youngest would leave college, give or take a year).

[serious mode] The younger boy who has decided on his own to get perfect marks and become a mechanical engineer said something very poignent to me. He told me he will be the brother taking care of his older learning disabled brother. You see... parents don't live forever.[/serous mode]

 

[SkepticJohn]

Well, last night we did unplug the router to get two kids off to bed. It is a nightmare to wake them up in the morning and get them to school.

Hehe, they go to bed if they can't be online? I remember when I was in highschool I'd be up half night playing computer games, not online, just single player.

There seems to be this notion that in order to do well in school they need a certain amount of sleep... and in order to do well in life they need to do well in school.

Yeah, except in reality, in order to do well in school you have to be motivated, and enjoy what you're doing. Most people have a subject they dislike and don't do well in, some people have several. Sure you won't do well if you don't get proper rest the night before, but that goes for everything, not just school. I think it's even less true for school, since you have the books, you can read on your own, and nowadays you can even take a voice recorder into class and tape what the teacher is saying, to listen to later (if you're too tired to write notes, or stay awake and pay attention).

So how well you do in school, in my opinion, doesn't depend on how much sleep you get the night before. Hell, I slept through most of my maths classes in highschool, and still got acceptable grades.

As for doing well in life, it depends on so many other things than school. It depends on the way you were raised, it depends on your connections, it depends on how you are as a person, it depends on relationships and economics.

Personally I didn't learn much of use in school, I learned academics which aren't of much use in day to day life. The important things you learn by living, doing, and experiencing.

And, yes... they will have their university years paid for by their parents

Dang, I guess I shouldn't have taken $30k in loans to go through university, should've let my parents pay.


(edit: fixed typo)

 

[SkepticJohn]

A few quick corrections.

2) Pulled PCI card from child's laptop (PCI card is the wireless network access)

Laptops don't have PCI cards by default, it'd have to be a external PCI card in that case, connected through PCMCIA. I think you mean a PCMCIA card.

4) Unplugged the router from power outlet (also done just to reset the network after dealing with modem outages).

Can't you just deny access to the router through the router menu? Unless you mean a switch. Then again, a switch doesn't have to be reset after modem outages. Check your router's user manual to see how you control access (both in and out), we allow access only to specific MAC adresses, which you can then control the allowed connection times for.

5) Pulled network cable from the router,

And what prevents the kids from plugging it back in? located in a clearly visible place, or your bedroom? grin


Bottom line, seems like a lot of trouble for something so simple. Pulling out cards, boards, cables, taking computers... Just set up the allowed connection times in the router, and it's a done deal.

That, or let your kids do as they like, let them fail school, and then just kick them out when they turn 18, and move into a one room apartment on your own, never to speak to the damn brats you popped out of your body. Ungrateful little beasts.

Me, I was up 'til 2am most nights playing computer games and chatting online at age 17, slept in school, skipped classes, yet got acceptable grades. But then again I turned out as I did. There's no real formula to it though, we're all different.

But at least your kids *want* to read books. At least they're in front of the computer and not running around downtown with their dopehead buddies. Or do you screen their friends and have GPS trackers sown into their clothes? Maybe you're one of those paranoid parents who call your kids' friends when they go over there to confirm where they went.

Oh there's no trust in the world anymore. *sigh*