How much is too much?

I’m all for protecting my children and keeping them safe, but how much information is too much?

In the article below, “Jendayi” writes in length about all the things we should be teaching our children, because “sex predators are everywhere, in church, in school”. When i was young we were just told “Don’t to talk to strangers.” Ok, considering that most crimes against children are committed by someone they know this probably doesn’t cut it anymore. But somehow I don’t feel comfortable sitting a small child down and going into detail about what is and is not acceptable behaviour from an adult, and how some people might be out to hurt them. I don’t want my child growing up believing that there are loads of “nasty people” out there.

Contrary to what Jendayi and the Daily Mail would like you to believe, we don’t live in a society where you need to be afraid of everyone and everything. There isn’t a paedophile on every corner, an axe murderer waiting to chop your granny up into small pieces. All children are not booze fuelled maniacs. The majority (if not all the people you will meet in your lifetime) are fairly decent and wouldn’t intentionally hurt your child. (well until they’re older and getting into drunken fights anyway). So, surely you would want to preserve that innocence and faith for as long as possible?

Am i burying my head in the sand? being dangerously naive?

I’m not for one minute suggesting it is not incredibly important to instill the right values in your child, to teach them all manner of sensible precautions for keeping safe – road safety, fire safety, personal safety . I’m just not sure it requires the kind of lecture that Jendayi is talking about. Does a child armed with all this information really become less of a target?

It reminds me of a documentary i once watched about women who wanted to, or had already microchipped their children. I clearly remember one particular mother telling her daughter why she had a microchip cut into her arm “anyone you meet might want to hurt you. You can’t trust anyone”. The girl was clearly traumatised. I wanted to weep and /or throttle this woman.

I don’t want my children thinking that anyone and everyone could be bad and nasty and intent on causing them harm.

So how much information is too much? I just don’t know. I’ve told my eldest that his “bits” belong to him and he can do what he likes with them. (although we are now trying to teach him that this shouldn’t really be on the sofa when we have guests). But that others shouldn’t.

I haven’t made a big issue of it, haven’t had some kind of “big talk”. I would rather leave it at that.

Jendayi’s article.

It’s very sensitively handled, I just can’t help feeling it’s all a bit much…..

posh’s aid to slimming

Just incase you were wondering.

I’ve been trying out posh spice’s theory about running around after 2 boys (in her case now 3) meaning you can eat what you like.

She’s lying.