I finally got my router fixed and D-Link’s SecureSpot software is now on my DIR-655 wireless N router. I have to say that this is a really cool utility. I have it setup so that both kid’s computers are setup on the Parental Controls. Melanie, Mom, and my computers are not setup on Parental Controls. So lets say that I am on Brit’s laptop and she wants to see my profile on Face Book, the Parental Controls will automatically forbid her, but I can supply my admin password and it will let that session go through. Once it is closed then it will block it again. It also has Parental Reporting so it will email me a report of the kids browsing history. Also, another cool feature is lets say that one of the kids friends comes over and they bring their laptop, when they open their web browser, it automatically goes to the “registration” page and they click on the “Guest” account. Once that is done then they also are under the Parental Controls so I don’t have to worry. Really really cool stuff!
My opinion about D-Link’s SecureSpot…A++. I am glad I spent the $30 a year fee to get this. Setting it up, depending on how many devices you have, will take a bit, but once it is done then you are all setup and secure.
When I go and teach my computer classes, during my introduction I tell my students that I am married and have two kids. Britney is 8 going on 15 and Aaron is 7. Both of my kids have computers. Britney has a Dell laptop with Windows XP (yuck), and Aaron has an old Shuttle with Mandriva Linux. They both like going on the Internet to the kids sites that Melanie and I have approved for them to go to, but I know there will come a day that I will have to “lock down” the Internet so they cannot go to the crummy sites that are out there.
I just got back from teaching a class and wouldn’t you know it, that time has come. Britney came to me the other day and showed me a website that one of her friends showed her, this was definitely not a site that I want her going to. So I am now looking at Parental Controls for my home network. I have a Dlink DIR-655 wireless router and Dlink has come out with a new firmware upgrade for it that has their SecureSpot software. This come with Parental Controls and all sorts of cool stuff. I am going to try it out and see how I like it. I’ll post up my thoughts after I have had a chance to play with it and all.
I guess Aaron thought he had to out do Britney with the Black Eye! I got a call early in the morning, you know I was still asleep cause I have to have my beauty sleep, from Aaron’s school nurse. She told me that he fell in the library. This is what happened to his eye.
There are little things that our kids do that just make us so proud! The other day Aaron comes up to me and he has 3 pennies in his little hand. He tells me that his G.G. Pa gave those pennies to him. He wanted me to have them so I could take them on the mission trip to Africa and give the pennies to the African people. How awesome is that! God is great!!!!!
Remember when you were a kid and report card day came? I was so scared! I did good in school, I stress good and not great. I really didn’t put out the effort. I did enough to get good grades. I hardly ever did my home work. I never study for test. School was so boring to me. There was one teacher that actually got my attention and made learning fun. Mr. Sam Nichols, he was my science teacher through all three years in high school. If I could go back in time and do school all over again, I would have put forth the effort and instead of doing enough to get good grades, I would have worked hard to get great grades. Any student that is reading this, I know school is awful sometimes, but it will not last forever. Do good in school, because if you do, there WILL be more opportunities out in the “real” world for you.
Anyways, the kids came home with their report cards. What a wonderful day! All A’s from both of them. I know that they worked hard to get those grades, too. I know because I am there when they get home and I make sure they do their home work…the right way. They did so good and I am so proud of them! Parents, a word to the wise, be involved with your kids school work. Show them that you care about what they are doing. Even though they might not show you respect for it now, they will at some point.
If you haven’t told your kids that you love them today, give them a big hug and tell them that you love them!
Britney is always hurting herself. This is her latest one. She got the black eye Sunday and I took this picture yesterday so it has gone down a bit. As you can see in one of the pictures, she is not to thrilled with it.
Aaron just came up to me bawling. I asked him what was going on. He had been playing Rock Band and he turned of the play station while it was saving the data to the memory card. This is the second time it has happened! After the first, I kept on quizzing the kids on when they could turn off the play station. I’m not upset with Aaron, I think it is rather hilarious cause I just finished beating the game on the Hard level.
This has been a really tough week for me. I feel like I have done nothing but get on to Aaron. I don’t know what it is? He has been getting in trouble on the bus this week. I honestly think the bus driver has a lot to do with it, I’m not too happy with the bus driver. But, I did find out that Aaron has been misbehaving on the bus. He lied to me about it so that is what really started it all. It just seems like it went down hill from there. I just got to where I was nit-picking at him on everything. His room was not clean, his closet was not clean, he was not picking up after himself, so on and so on. The poor kid just couldn’t do anything without me right there getting on to him. Thursday was the worst day. The bus director called the house and they had reviewed the video tape from the bus. They told us everything that he had been doing. I was really upset because he had lied again. I lost it, and Aaron told me that he didn’t like living in the house because it was a mean house. Man, did that hurt! I was in the kitchen looking out the back door, crying of course, and here comes Aaron. He sees me crying and then he starts crying. I see him cry, because I’m crying, so I start crying even more. So we sat down right there on the floor, the hard floor I might add, and we cried together.
I remember my father always telling me that sometimes people just need to cry. If I ever needed to cry that I could come to him and we could both cry together. I took him up on that several times. I remember being in high school and I told dad that I needed to cry. I sat in his lap hugging him and cried.
Back to Aaron, so we talked about things. He wanted to know why I was crying and I told him. I had to let him know that telling the truth was so important, even if we knew it was going to get us into trouble, we always had to tell the truth. I had to let him know that it hurts mommy and daddy when they lie, and it is very disrespectful. What did I learn out of all this, sometimes it really doesn’t help to punish, punish, and more punish. If I just sit down and talk with my kids, see what is really going on in their heads. I am not saying that I will let them get away with doing wrong…nope, not at all, but it was like I was just finding things that he was doing wrong, just to do it. No reason what so ever….and that is WRONG! I also learned that my bond with my son is bigger and stronger than I know. This little bundle of joy loves me so much and looks up to me like you wouldn’t believe. That is powerful!
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