Trues Stories: Setting up road blocks
Friday, January 22, 2010
I have a true story from a parent. I wanted to share this to get back to one of the main reasons McGruff Safeguard was created. Today, between the use of acronyms and slang, it can be a bit more difficult to understand what our kids are saying. Here is what one parent ran across:
I saw on one boys response to my child that he told his parents he needed 15
dollars to go to the movies, but it would be used to by 2 "zanny's" (Xanax) at
$7.00 a piece and $1.00 for a bottle of liquor.
I learned to have passes for the theater and give my child a movie pass, or if he wants money for McDonalds, I purchased a Golden Arch card and give him that to use. It really helps me in implementing strategies that may not necessarily stop some inappropriate behavior however, I can put up some roadblocks and make things more difficult. I think this is a great idea. There isn’t much we can do to actually control our kids. However, by doing things that limit the amount of actual cash they’re given but also giving them resources to make better decisions is a great idea.
When I was a kid, “zanny’s” or Xanax and alcohol were a popular combination. However, these two drugs mixed together, although causes a “buzz” can be a very dangerous combination. Xanax can actually intensify the effects of the alcohol. This is something that as kids, just trying to have fun, they really don’t know what it is they’re doing to their bodies.
Have you noticed any conversation with lingo you’re not familiar with? One of the top 3 features of the McGruff solution is acronym resolution. We translate this for you and alert you if there is any conversation that represents dangerous behavior. McGruff Safeguard is here to help. Try it for free today. Understand what the conversation is.Labels: acronyms, True Stories, Urban Dictionary, Xanax
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 4:36 PM Link to this Article
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Parenting Today
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Growing up today is nothing like it used to be for me, for my parents, or for their parents. It’s a whole different ball game, right? But is it really? Or is the big difference the changes in technology? Or is it the difference in what we consider “acceptable” in today’s society? I wonder this as I write this post. I am going to share a True Story from one of our parents who has been using McGruff Safeguard to monitor her teenager. One of the words she uses to describe culture is “climate.” I really like that word, because maybe the issues haven’t changed. Maybe it’s just a climate that we’ve not had to adapt to as our kids have. Here’s her story:
"I’m not going to drop you in your tracks with stories of how McGruff Safeguard
saved my child from this or that. But I did want to take a second to tell
you that in today's world, my children are growing up in a different climate
than I did. Everyone can pretty much put their finger on that, but it
really makes parenting hard when you don't realize how different it is.
Here, I think I'm talking to her about what I need to be talking to her about and that
I'm parenting in the right way. However, what I found after installing it,
were clues on things that actually were affecting her. I could see I had a
sullen and moody pre-teen/teenager on my hands, but for the life of me, I
couldn't drag the reasons out of her. However, in the past few months, by
just pursuing her conversations and making my own attempts to limit my
"eavesdropping", I have picked up clues to things I needed to be aware of.
I have been able to steer conversations into areas we hadn't yet touched and get
her to actually open up more. I know that it was okay for her to talk to
me. I honestly believe she just didn't know who to broach some
subjects. I now see a happier child and I feel like I made the right
choice. Maybe someday I will have a “drop you in your tracks story.”
I hope not. However, I feel much safer in knowing that I don't have to sit
idly by and watch it happen."
I think this story is brilliant. We hope you can sleep better at night knowing you are aware of what is truly going on inside your child/teen’s world. Maybe we just forget to remember what it’s like to be a teenager since we’re all grown up. I truly think that we often forget in many cases, that understanding is a matter of communication in so many ways. Teens haven’t really learned to communicate that well. This could be out of fear of how we’ll react or fear that we may not understand. I also think we fear how we’ll react. (Where’s the easy button?)
We hope that you’ll be able to use this story and McGruff Safeguard, to understand that it’s all about understanding where your kids and teens are, so you’ll be able to communicate better with them.
What are your thoughts?Labels: McGruff Safeguard, online parenting, True Stories
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 9:18 AM Link to this Article
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Sneaking Out-True Stories
Sunday, October 25, 2009
 I have to say that I had to laugh out loud (lol) when I received this story. Not because it was funny, but because I could totally relate on both the child and the parent end. I was a very rebellious teenager. If my parents told me I COULDN’T do something, I would show them that I could. For me, it was an independent power struggle. I felt like I had to somehow prove I was capable of feeling life out and making my own decisions. There are lots of teens out there who feel the same way. Even if they don’t necessarily act out as I did, they are all searching for their own identity. Sneaking out is one way I tried to find that. Other kids are up to the same deeds as well. The following is one parent’s story of how McGruff Safeguard was used in order to interfere with the pattern of sneaking out:
“I have a teenage child who liked to sneak out at night when everyone was asleep. Since I kept close tabs on the phone usage his only way of "planning" these outings with his friends was in chat online. The service has enabled me to interfere with his sneaking out. Needless to say, he has no idea how I find out and has nearly stopped all attempts of getting out at night.”
Speaking from experience, this mother is brave and needs to be applauded for taking a stand. If you have to sneak out in order to do something, usually, what kids are doing is probably not something they should be. When I snuck out, it was ordinarily to be with people my parents didn’t want me to be with, and there were often times drugs and alcohol was involved. Had my parents had McGruff Safeguard as a service back when I was a teenager making stupid decisions, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into some of the trouble that I did. Parents, the world is a scary place. There are more dangers out there now, than there was before. We want to help you stop this activity BEFORE it happens. So, whether you are a parent who monitors your teenager because they sneak out, or whether you are just looking to know what is truly going on in your teens life, McGruff Safeguard can monitor it all. Help us help you keep your family safe online. Labels: McGruff Safeguard, rebellion, sneaking out, True Stories
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 11:52 AM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "They started saying things to her that were sexual and degrading..."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
One of the themes that comes up so often in the discussion of online parenting, protection, and especially monitoring is the unpalatable idea of "snooping" or spying. McGruff SafeGuard is a tool that gives parents insights into their child's activity online, but not for the mere sake of "gotcha's" or a covert sting operation. As one parent writes, "I do not feel like I am invading her privacy because there are so many issues that come up and need to be discussed in today's society."
This parent, like many parents, was not questioning her daughter's integrity. She did not want to invade privacy. This parent wanted to be a good parent--protecting her child from the dangers which might go otherwise unnoticed in the secret realms of social media.
"The service is great! I had a couple incidences with my 14 year old daughter. There were boys at her school that she was friends with and they started to say things to her that were sexual and degrading. I was glad I had the opportunity to view the comments to let my daughter know that what they were saying was disrespectful and that "no boy or man" has a right to talk to any girl the way they did."
When your young teen daughter begins to get unwanted attention from men, there are lots of emotions that can come up. Many times, the child does not feel empowered to tell an authority, as the evil of "tattling" is so ingrained in our early childhood minds. Or, more often, the embarrassment of it all prevents an emotionally fragile teen from talking.
With McGruff SafeGuard, however, this parent was able to see the perverted advances of her classmates and reaffirm her daughter's self-esteem. "No boy or man has a right to talk to any girl the way they did," the mother explained. The mother continued:
"I do not feel like I am invading her privacy because there are so many issues that come up and need to be discussed in today's society. I did, however, tell my daughter that I have the service and that it alerts me to sexual content via email. The service is the most important thing a parent should have if they allow their child freedom on the internet."
This mother chose to let her daughter know she was watching--that if anything came up that might endanger the young girl, that Mommy would be there to protect her. After all, isn't that what our children should know about us as parents? Not that we will be there to bust them, but that we are there to protect them.Labels: children safety, cyberbulling, internet safety, McGruff Safeguard, monitoring, online parenting, teenagers, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 6:12 AM Link to this Article
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Welcome to the World of Sexting
Monday, August 24, 2009
I think it’s pretty safe to say that teenagers are prone to doing things without thinking of consequences. I also think it’s safe to say, had they thought about them, looking into the future, they probably wouldn’t have made the same decisions. Here’s a true story:
Not too long ago, there was a cheerleader in high school who broke up with her boyfriend. Two years earlier, she had used her cell phone to film an inappropriate video of herself. She was only a freshman at the time. Fast-forward to the beginning of her senior year, her now ex-boyfriend sent the video via text to her cheerleading coach and other random friends to ‘get back at her.’ She was kicked off the squad over something she had done as a freshman. She was devastated. Her family was hurt and embarrassed. I mean, think of the emotions you would go through if something like that were to happen to your child…to your family.
The girl in this story does not come from a bad home. Her family is still together, they attend church. They are the kind of family in which you would never expect something like this to happen to. However, it was the consequence of a teenager just not using her head when she was 14 years old. I’m pretty sure her parents never sat down and said; “Now honey, it’s probably not smart to send inappropriate pictures or videos over your cell phone, to your boyfriend.” Quite the opposite actually, since I know the family. It came as a shock.
Not all teenagers do things like in this particular story. I wanted to share it because many times, we have no clue what’s going on inside our kids’ heads. That is why McGruff Safeguard can be a major assistance in communicating with our teens. When we know what's REALLY going on, we are able to lead the conversation in a manner that could make all the difference in the world.Labels: communication, online parenting, sexting, True Stories
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 5:38 AM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "Before it's too late..."
Friday, August 21, 2009
There is a lot of fear involved in parenting. As we talk about protecting children, it's easy to focus on all the dangers that exist. Predators, drugs, violence, profanity, immorality, teen pregnancy, depression, self-destruction... I could go on, but to be truthful, I really don't want to.
Parenting isn't always about rule-setting and boundary-building. Although you wouldn't guess it from the media and the best-seller lists, there is actually more to be enjoyed and cherished as a parent than to be feared. Today's "true story" exemplifies that fact to a tee. After using McGruff SafeGuard as a parental monitoring tool, one parent wrote:
"Some of the examples you gave of how the program helped parents were pretty extreme, which is wonderful. On a much simpler note, I love being able to read about what is going on with the day to day activities of my 13 year old."
That's a breath of fresh air. As a parent, do you ever just want to get to know your child better. At thirteen, this little girl is just barely starting to become an adult. Now, she's not there yet, but a personality is developing that will be the foundation for an adult relationship for decades to come. This mother enjoyed one simple thing: she was getting to know her daughter. She was getting involved. She could pay attention. She could care about her life. She could know her.
The parent continued:
"The best thing about the program is simply being able to direct your conversations with your child about what is going on and having an intelligent two sided conversation about topics of concern. All of this is important to do before it is too late." Some day, this thirteen-year-old girl is going to be a sixteen-year-old driver, and then an eighteen-year-old college freshman, and so on. Meaningful conversations don't have to wait until they're an adult. If you feel like distance is forming... like "mom just doesn't get me" is on the back of your child's mind... maybe McGruff SafeGuard could help in one simple way: get know your child... before it's too late.Labels: McGruff Safeguard, monitoring, online parenting, teenagers, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 7:19 AM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "It has been a great way to open lines of communication..."
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sixteen. That magical age when a teen somehow becomes entirely free. They blow out all sixteen candles, their brains mature instantly, their hormones stabilize, and they gain such perspective on life.... oh, and they get car keys, to boot.
We all know it doesn't work like that. But, there are challenges that arise for parents when teens suddenly gain the freedom of wheels and the empowerment to believe they are self-sufficient. Attempts to hold on tighter often backfire in rebellion. But on the contrary, unbridled freedom could leave them vulnerable to risks and dangers they cannot even imagine.
McGruff Safeguard is a monitoring tool that has helped countless parents stay in-tune with their kids activities without crossing the fuzzy boundary between concerned and controlling. One such parent tells this story:
"I got this product after my daughter started talking to a new boy at school... The boy wanted my daughter to meet him after school to get to know each other better. They also decided it would be a good idea not to tell their parents. The boy is 18 and my daughter 16. I found out through the service that they were going to meet and where."
Now, before you wonder if this is spying, intrusive, or otherwise objectionable: the story goes on to reveal that the daughter was in fact suffering from clinical depression. While undergoing counseling and with support from her parents, she wasn't improving. They just weren't able to get through to her, to relate, and to let her know they cared.
But McGruff Safeguard afforded the parents a unique insight. They began to discover that their daughter wasn't opening up. She wasn't telling anyone, the counselor included, what was hurting her, how she really felt, and what she was really thinking about life. How has McGruff Safeguard helped?
"It has been a great way to open line of communication between us. She doesn't know I use this , but I don't want her to think I am prying into her private life, but she has grown closer to us as she feels that we really do know how she feels and we can offer help for issues that she needs a little guidance in. I love this service and highly recommend it to anyone with kids." Labels: depression, McGruff Safeguard, monitoring, online parenting, teenagers, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 9:42 AM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "I felt a little guilty..."
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
We have met and spoken to countless parents--hundreds if not thousands--and there's a common sentiment that we'd like to bring out into the open. It's usually mentioned in about the same fashion. We're sharing about our product. The parent is nodding in agreement. Then they pause. They lean in closer. And, in a lower voice, the parent asks: "so, is this like spying on my kids?"
In my mother-in-law's home, the window over the kitchen sink provides a panoramic view of the entire back yard. It's far beyond a child's ability to understand the luminosity and reflections that prevent them from seeing in, even while mom can see out quite clearly. She watches her son play. She watches him break the rules. The punishment ensues. Was she spying?
Of course not. When a child ventures outside, there's risk involved. And, where risk is involved, monitoring is not just permissible, it's required. The same is true on the internet. The internet is a neighborhood, not unlike your backyard, but with infinitely more neighbors, more ways to "play" with them, and less ways for you to monitor you kids' activities.
One parent wrote to us about her initial trepidation, "I felt a little guilty." But, as you'll read, McGruff SafeGuard let this mom see the encouraging results of her adolescent son making the right decisions. It also let her help him avoid the wrong ones. But ultimately, what we all want is to impart the wisdom to know the difference.
"Let me start by saying this is the best $30.00 I have ever spent. I have two stories to share. The first is a happy one for any parent to know. My son a freshman in HS goes to a roller rink every Fri. I'm not clueless I know the drugs are there but you just hope your kids not the one. My son came home early one night and wouldn't say why he just seemed mad. Later I checked the service to find out why he was mad. He was mad because some of his friends went and left to do drugs. He wrote to his other friend that they were a waste of his time and he was not going to go with them again. I was so happy to read this message. Another time some kids were going to have a sleep over and he added that his parents would not be home. It was good to know that and put a stop to the sleep over. I felt a little guilty when I first put it in but the feeling of safety has won me over as well as the other people I have told about this. I hope you can get the word out to other parents and still keep the kids in the dark about your product. It is nice that they don’t know it is there. Thank you again." Labels: internet safety, McGruff Safeguard, monitoring, online parenting, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 7:21 AM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "My daughter was experimenting with marijuana..."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
We hear stories everyday about the dangers children face online, the parents whose fears became reality, and the sad impact these events can have on families across America. But, through our partnership with the NCPC to provide McGruff SafeGuard for free to parents who need to protect their children, we also get to hear stories of encouragement, stories of parents who know they've protected their child and secured their future.
I'd like to share some of these stories on the blog from time to time. "True Stories" is a blog series of real families whose lives have been impacted by McGruff SafeGuard and the NCPC's efforts.
"The service has been a valuable tool for me for the past couple of months. I am the mother of two teenage girls, 13 and 16. The world is a scary place...so many dangers. Kids today don't realize how dangerous their choices and the influence of friends can be. They are invincible. Nothing can happen to them...after all.."everybody else does it."
My oldest daughter had been experimenting with marijuana. I caught her just in time. With The service on my computer and constant vigilance I have been able to monitor where her head is at and what she is up to. I have also been able to monitor where her friends' heads are and what they are up to. I have realized which friends I need to keep her away from. I caught my daughter taking a stroll down the wrong path just in the nick of time. The service has played a big role in helping me get her back on the right path and keeping her there. I would recommend this product to anyone." If you have a similar story, or would like to share your experience parenting your children on the Internet, please feel free to leave a comment here. We can't get enough encouraging stories.Labels: internet safety, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 6:43 AM Link to this Article
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