Should there be an age limit

[jackie]

This is a little off topic but in the lines of ***Age Limit*** On some of these threads,We talk about Suicide,Alcholism,and i just dont think that our young posters should be reading these kinds of things!!! Just my opinion!

It is up to the parent to control what their child reads on the net.

[BOBS DAD]

Lori,

Don't be offended. I don't think there was an attempt to "gang up on you". I just think that most folks honestly disagreed with your comments and were expressing their own point of view. I "DO" think it is a touchy subject (Suicide) and a hard one to deal with (as was/is Alcoholism). I initially didn't read that thread, but after doing so yesterday, I found it to be a very good one. Quite balanced and informative - and if anything - "helpful" to someone who might be depressed or borderline suicidal and considering something so drastic. Perhaps an even better one for someone who knows someone in this state!

Now of course, I am 46 years old and it is hard to know what effect it would have on me at 13. GOOD THOUGHT to ponder. I guess a good way of addressing the issue is to revert to a old standby theme. "KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE VIEWING ONLINE". Just as kids who have access to the internet can find themselves in "Porn Sites", chat rooms and other questionable URLs, so can they find sites such as PT where life themes may be being discussed. All my kids are computer literate, and were as early as 7-8 years old. At that time, I closely monitored their internet travels. Some might call it snooping. And if I saw something/somewhere that was inappropriate, I told them I did not want them going there again. If I found info there that I thought they shouldn't be reading, then I took the opportunity to discuss that subject with them - in an age appropriate manner. Then I would ask them if they had any questions or were troubled or confused... etc., etc., but then that site was off limits.

I guess I will conclude with: My youngest (and our wonderful "SURPRISE" baby) is now 12. And in accessing her intellect and level of maturity, I do not believe she would have any difficulty with the issues being discussed in the threads. I do believe that she is "already" hearing about and in some ways being touched by some of these issues through her interactions with friends and school. I WOULD end with, TALK TO YOUR KIDS", and talk to them as often as you can about all kinds of issues. Introduce them to the things and issues that they will ultimately be dealing with as young adults. Keep an on-going dialog with them as they go through adolescence and into young adulthood. In this way, you've done the very best that you could as a parent - whose number one responsibility is to prepare your children and arm them with all the neccessary tools/skills/coping mechanisms that you can, before setting them free to spread their wings and fly off into the "unknown & exciting, sometimes troubling" world of life!!!

[Lori Jordan]

It just seems everytime i post in here someone has something negative to say so i will no longer post here when someone has there opinion i dont disagree i just go on no need to prove someone wrong it is a OPINION..im not defended at all jost dont care too post here anymore...and the ganging up does not have to be planned

[Catty1]

But others have opinions TOO . And I suppose some get energetic about expressing them. If my opinion happens to be totally different from yours, does that mean I am negative???

Lots of people disagree with opinions I have - and if I really believe in my own view, then I am secure in it, and what others say doesn't upset me.

JMO

Catty1

[Lori Jordan]

Well in my opinion in the other board i got my head ripped off for it ,and im the same if i have an opinion ill say it but not too be rude..That is why these boards dont clash Never had any problem anywhere else then in here! Not mad at anybody or dislike just thinks it is a tough board nobodya seems to agree and some fights do break out and it is silly,and im not talking about this Thread but have seen in others

[Karen]

We try very hard to keep things civil, even in The Dog House on Pet Talk. Here is just where more opinion-related topics like politics and religion, among others, are discussed. We are a wide-ranging group of people on Pet Talk, covering every branch of the political spectrum, for example. But what keep us together, what we all have in common, is our love for our pets.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Well in my opinion in the other board i got my head ripped off for it ,and im the same if i have an opinion ill say it but not too be rude..That is why these boards dont clash Never had any problem anywhere else then in here! Not mad at anybody or dislike just thinks it is a tough board nobodya seems to agree and some fights do break out and it is silly,and im not talking about this Thread but have seen in others

That's the thing Lori, not everyone is going to agree with someone else. Everyone has their own opinions on things and they can be quite different than our own. It doesn't make them wrong or negative, it actually is great to read a bunch of different opinions - it give's us more knowledge and I am grateful that we all don't think alike. I felt the same as you in some of the threads I posted, but then I realized that without all of the opinions, some of the choices I made could've been the wrong ones.

Sometimes I would get way to defensive in my posts and it made me feel like crap. I now have to go over my posts before I hit submit, and I think about how others will read it. I word somethings wrong, and that can make someone read my posts completely differently than how I read it.

Tasha

[BOBS DAD]

Hi Lori,

I think you are right. there is most definitely a greater chance of a fight breaking out in the "Dog House". I think that s just the nature of the forum. When you are talking about controversial subjects, you are going to get a broad range of opinions and some will be particularly strong. It's like the old Religion and Politics adage. People used to say never discuss Religion or Politics in a family gathering. I always thought that was silly... people were mature and adults could handle differing points of views. Boy, was I wrong!!! As I gotten older, I have seen so many fights break out at family events - Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving - it doesn't matter. Bring up Politics, President Bush or the war in Iraq - comments start out innocent enough, then get sharper and before you know it - somebody's really mad. Sometimes refusing to talk anymore! Ka-Razy!!!

Same with the "Don't sell a car to a family member". We sold my wife's used VW Rabbit to my brother shortly after my wife and I got married. It was older and had lots of mileage and so we sold it for something like $500.00. A few weeks later, he burned the clutch out (I don't think he really knew how to drive the manual). $7-800.00 for a new one. I still think to this day that he thinks we duped him and he got shafted!!!

Oh yeah, and don't lend money to a relative. If they need it (I mean really need it), don't lend it - just "give" it to them. That way you won't feel bad when they don't pay you back. And one day when you are down and out, I'm pretty sure they will come to your aid!!!

But anywho... I think that this forum is different than the strictly pet issue posts. Feelings are less strong and folks are more inclined to feel "whatever" - although I have seen a few fights break out tere too!!!

[BOBS DAD]

Here is just where more opinion-related topics like politics and religion, among others, are discussed.

I was hunting and pecking away at my keyboard with an idea/thought that came to my mind. Finally, I was finished and posted, and you had already made the same point!!!

They say "great minds think alike"... I gues your mind is just a tad bit greater!!!!