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Two years ago my 13 year old son attended a technology camp and was completely unprepared for what happened there. A counselor who had spent the previous week establishing "coolness" and trust with the kids asked his "help" in discovering who had was responsible for a video he had found on another camper's computer.  The video contained underage teen pornography. The counselor asked him to view the video to see if he "recognized" anyone, then asked my child what he thought of it.  My son answered gross and left the room as soon as he could.

As a parent, I had never even thought to address this kind of visual (or for that matter auditory) sexual abuse.  As it turns out, many offenders don't touch a child first, they introduce the child to visual pornography under some ruse.  Once they can get a certain comfort level established, the physical abuse begins.

The perpetrator was a technology consultant to more than one school district, a third year law student and board president of a technology education non-profit.  Hundreds of child pornography videos were found in his house with a search warrant. He is now in jail.  

I went to my two younger children and told them that "no touching" also extends to "no looking".  I spoke to our elementary school counselor and principal and nothing along these lines is in the school curriculum. 

I feel grateful that we dodged a more serious bullet.  My heart goes out to all the families who suffer far more serious fates.

 I don't think sex education needs to get too graphic for young kids.  My mantra with my own children is, "If it is covered by underwear or a bra, no looking, no touching.  Period."  Curiousity is normal and healthy and we provide books to educate them about body parts and functions.

posted 3 years ago
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I am dismayed at all the fear-mongering, misinformation and outright lies regarding chicken keeping. Chickens are less noisy than dogs.  Chickens produce less waste than dogs. Chickens are SILENT from dusk to dawn. Chickens do not bark at neighbors. Chickens do not bite neighbors.  Chickens do not roam the neighborhood and kill songbirds (the #1 threat to our bird population is cats). Backyard chickens HAVE NOT passed diseases to humans in the United States. Chicken waste can be composted into your garden (cat and dog waste may not).  Chickens produce a healthy food that humans can eat.   The arguments against a small backyard flock remind me of the arguments against integration in the 50s and 60s.  A lot of hysteria, a lot of fear-mongering, no facts.

posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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