Vanessa Van Petten's EBook

Vanessa Van Petten released her EBook, “The Dirt E-secrets of an Internet Kid” this week. The 70+ page book elaborates on the way kids communicate on the World Wide Web and outlines all the things parents should know about what their child is doing on the Internet.

Van Petten writes a parenting advice column online (called a blog, which we’ll go over at a later date) on a variety of topics, but she tackles the E World specifically in many of her posts.
What I like most about her EBook is she dispels what she labels “inadequate advice” that you hear most often. I’ll give you just one example and urge you to buy the book for the others.

Inadequate Advice: Keep the Computer in a Public Room. Why is this inadequate? While it is still a good idea, Van Petten argues, rightfully I’ll add, teens are too smart to let this stop them from doing the things you don’t want them to do on the Internet. Believe me, our computer was in the very public game room and I still found a way to sneakily access chat rooms and other inappropriate websites.

So what is a parent to do?

For starters, get to know the technology. It can serve as a bonding tool for you and your children and as a way to share your lives and communicate.

Also, have very clear, very specific rules about what your kids can and cannot do when on the Internet. This will PREVENT problems, as well.

In addition to parent tips, Van Petten also offers interesting and youthful insight (including charts) into online dating, cyberbullying, instant updates and why kids love them, and much more. The book is $10 and you can find it through the links above.