Pre-teen to join this site?

mike taylor

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Hey, can we make the younger members post show up in red ? If they are longed on under the age of say 18 the headline is red .
 

Pearly

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Hi, Jaizei, I think what Mike had in mind was for the experienced forum members to be aware they are dealing with very young people as to offer certain level of support/advice and not be quick to jump to conclusions in situations where critical thinking types of choices can only come with number of gray hairs and wrinkles :) In other words, to cut them some slack, be good mentors and lead by example rather than lecturing. Mike, am I correct in my assumption?
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Hi, Jaizei, I think what Mike had in mind was for the experienced forum members to be aware they are dealing with very young people as to offer certain level of support/advice and not be quick to jump to conclusions in situations where critical thinking types of choices can only come with number of gray hairs and wrinkles :) In other words, to cut them some slack, be good mentors and lead by example rather than lecturing. Mike, am I correct in my assumption?
Grey hairs and wrinkles!!!!!!
Oh, yeah, fair point.
 

Tom

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Hey, can we make the younger members post show up in red ? If they are longed on under the age of say 18 the headline is red .

This is a great idea. It would let everyone know they are talking to a minor. I definitely speak differently to an adult than I do to a kid.
 

kathyth

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We welcome you and your daughter to the forum!
You sound like such a nice and caring mother. It's so good to see.
:)
 

jaizei

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One thing that might be helpful is the blocking of Private Messages.
This way all communication would be public. Transparent.
Maybe a moderator can do this?

That would be something only Josh could do since he's the only administrator. However, I see no reason that they should not be allowed to utilize the forum to it's full capabilities. It's their parents job to babysit them. Though the idea of transparency is interesting. PMs are truly private (moderators/Josh can't see them unless they are reported), but from the glimpses I've seen I think quite a few members would be embarrassed if their PMs were made public.

Second, what good will this do for those that choose to not disclose their age, or those that mistakenly end up 45 years old? Who's going to verify that everyone that says they're under age actually is? I'd think that if the forum gives special flair to minors, there'd need to be some level responsibility to ensure that they actually are.

I don't see a reason to treat a minor different than anyone else. I won't. If there is something they do not understand, they can ask for clarification. Assuming that they wouldn't understand from the start is condescending.
 

mike taylor

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Cool ! It's great to have young people learning ! Our animals have a future !
 

Pearly

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This is a great idea. It would let everyone know they are talking to a minor. I definitely speak differently to an adult than I do to a kid.
I do as well, that's one of the most important skills any mentor/teacher/big brother can posses, to be able "to level" with people according to their developmental stage. I, for one, to this day ask people in certain areas to explain things to me like to a 6 year old when I really need to get it fast and right on a first take
 

Pearly

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That would be something only Josh could do since he's the only administrator. However, I see no reason that they should not be allowed to utilize the forum to it's full capabilities. It's their parents job to babysit them. Though the idea of transparency is interesting. PMs are truly private (moderators/Josh can't see them unless they are reported), but from the glimpses I've seen I think quite a few members would be embarrassed if their PMs were made public.

Second, what good will this do for those that choose to not disclose their age, or those that mistakenly end up 45 years old? Who's going to verify that everyone that says they're under age actually is? I'd think that if the forum gives special flair to minors, there'd need to be some level responsibility to ensure that they actually are.

I don't see a reason to treat a minor different than anyone else. I won't. If there is something they do not understand, they can ask for clarification. Assuming that they wouldn't understand from the start is condescending.
Yours and all of the above comments/ideas have their point. I like this "brainstorming". Again, about my own child, knowing that people of any age are allowed to join the forum is what I needed, the rest (protecting my kid, monitoring) is really my job. I am glad this discussion took place because it's made me and perhaps other parents out there aware of more possibilities and different scenarios. Raising kids today is not what it was when I was growing up. I try to not miss opportunities to broaden horizons and my awareness of all potential dangers out there. My job as a mother is to keep my children safe as well as moderate their interactions with the world outside. Schools today are not very good about teaching correspondence etiquette, so this will be another mile stone for my daughter. Hopefully she pics up fast. Thanks again for all the comments
 

Pearly

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Awesome! Glad you decided to allow her to use the forum! :)
One more thing, I'm just wondering if you (XxRockyxX) know of any other forum members that are this young? I'm just having this little thought go through my head right now: if it would be possible for the youngest members to forge a little sub-network within this forum... I know Toffi (my kid) would enjoy it. She may find the correspondence with adults a bit intimidating. I don't know, it's just an idea
 
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