Being a parent in a socially networked world is likely one of the toughest challenges you will face. In the thick of this challenge, I’ve shifted my parenting approach significantly over the past several years. I’ve evolved, as many of you have witnessed on this blog, from being a panicked protector to a full-time preparer. A key shift for me personally has been the conscious decision to invest more of my time into gaining influence in my child’s life rather than control.
The #1 filtering tool I recommend to parents (who ask) is to roll up your sleeves and do what it takes to build a strong bond with your kids. That bond will unlock their hearts and minds to the bigger stuff like conversations around integrity, empathy, tolerance, modesty and kindness in their social, digitally-driven worlds.
This approach is more difficult than clicking on a button or installing software but it’s the first toward raising digital citizens who understand both safety and integrity in the online wold.
A strong…
