A Teachable Moment: Forum Etiquette

My teenage daughter loves to visit online forums.

Let's face it: We, as parents, would love to shield our children from every hurt and boo boo that they come across.  Unfortunately, that is impossible.  Yes, we can pray for their safety, and we can equip them to deal with others.  What happens when our children want to join forums at websites?

My daughter and I were recently discussing her visits at an online forum.  I won't mention the website because she asked me not to.  Anyway, she was telling me that there was an individual who jumped into one of her conversations.  The person was downright rude to all of them.

We discussed the need for mercy in the face of such rude individuals.  Perhaps the person was having a bad day.  Maybe the person was mistreated in some manner.  My daughter then realized that the individual could be an eight year-old.  It was a teachable moment.

The important thing to remember is that we cannot control what others say or do to us.  It's up to us to figure out how to treat others, even in the face of adversity.  How should we respond to such persons.  Should we be rude right back at the person or remain calm?  I think the latter is the better course.  Why do we need to add fuel to the fire, when we have the power to diffuse the situation?

I was glad that my daughter let me know of the situation.  She admitted that she was so mad that her body started shaking.  Do I feel badly that she went through that?  Yes...but I feel that she needed to go through that to learn from it.  She also, in her young years, has realized that what the rude person provided was "unnecessary drama."

Thanks for viewing this entry about using a teachable moment, when discussing etiquette for participating in forums.  I hope I've given an idea of what can be used in the home school to teach strategy.

How about you, my readers?  For those of you who visit forums, do you read the rules before jumping into conversations?  How do you deal with rude participants?  I would recommend reading the rules and regulations before joining any conversations.  Also, if your children will be visiting forums, discuss with them that there are difficult people in all sorts of chatting formats.  That way, they are not stunned when they meet with online bullies.

I pray that God helps us all, whether we are homeschooling or are thinking of home schooling.  May God bless us all with His wisdom and peace, as we teach our children.

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