With your computer, you also need to set rules. The Internet is practically indispensable for teens that use it for homework, socializing and even for entrepreneurial reasons. Many teens today are more technically savvy than their parents. We hope that our kids are safe online. The Internet is filled with pornography and bad information and swarming with pedophiles or sexual predators. Whether we have a teenaged daughter or son, we are equally concerned with how their online behavior could be affecting their life.

When our children are little, we can look over their shoulder but as they mature, they expect a degree of respected privacy. To look at their computer might be as invasive as reading their diary. But what if we feel the need to read that diary in order to obtain peace of mind? Or, perhaps our teen is acting suspiciously and we believe that a window into their computer habits might reveal something that we need to know such as a substance abuse habit or an inappropriate relationship or business venture.

How do we find out what our teens are doing when they are better at covering their tracks online than we are at uncovering them? Software that monitors their activities might be the best answer. You can download a package and install it. It runs secretly in the background and pulls information that you want and sends it to you in a secure, encrypted e-mail. This software will tell you what's on the computer, what the passwords are, will give you a bird's eye view onto the desktop via screen snap shots that you can view to see what's there. You can access chat logs from instant messaging programs such as MSN, Yahoo, Googletalk, ICQ or AOL and receive copies of e-mails sent and received into that computer. This information can give you peace of mind that your teen is ok or can give you the valuable information you need to help steer your child in the right direction.

Children are our kids whether they're seventeen days old or seventeen years old and it's our right and duty to protect them. The Internet is both valuable and dangerous for our kids. Knowing what they're doing can help us effectively parent them. Teaching them off hand what our rules and expectations are is important. Warning them about potential dangers is also crucial. But finding a way to follow up and ensure that our rules are being followed might also be necessary.