When my children were small I spent a lot of energy keeping them safe. I tucked poisonous substances on high shelves, and kept the car doors on child lock. We put four kinds of bolts and chains on the front door when Benjamin kept escaping and I made sure the frying pan handles were always pointed in. I was never quite sure where Benjamin was headed. Maybe he was just exploring and meant no harm. But I was fiercely protective and kept the doors shut.

 

I have let down my guard considerably, now that five of our kids are in their twenties. Some of those habits grew from experience, and others I learned from listening to other parents. It would not have occurred to me to be careful about frying pans, since I was not three feet tall looking up. 

 

I do not know how many catastrophes we avoided. How could I? I did cry when I heard about other children who were burned or lost.

 

Facebook has grown exponentially in just a few years. It makes it possible to reconnect with people you have not seen in decades, as well as to find new people instantly. That can be a good thing. Or a dangerous one. 

 

The book Facebook and Your Marriage by K. Jason Krafsky and Kelli Krafsky is one resource for figuring out the terrain. The possibilities for an online chat relationship, or finding your high school honey did not really exist a short time ago. Now you can meet someone in cyberspace and carry on instant, personal conversations many times a day. This can be a blessing if your spouse is in Afghanistan, or a risk if the person you are growing closer to is not your husband or wife.

 

One of the guidelines I learned from the book 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Rhys Asplundh

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