I've waited so long...(sing that again)

Hello everyone -
You've probably been wondering if I died recently (or perhaps if I'd gotten the dreaded #4 at the nearest Taco Bell and have been down for the count for a while). It has been a while since my last entry. I hope this one is helpful to you. This entry primarily is geared for parents of teenagers...enjoy!
We have just finished a parent training at Ingleside called "Becoming a Web-Savvy Parent." The following took place on Sunday night between 6:30 and 7:30 pm(read that last line with your best Jack Bauer voice).
We discussed internet filters and recommended covenant eyes. Covenant eyes offers web filtering as well as internet accountability. It will send you, the parent, a printable report of every page that has been viewed on your computer. You can check out more at www.covenanteyes.com . You may want to see what Josh Via says about the tool on www.joshvia.com.
We also mentioned that parents must be savvy in regard to entertainment (ie - movies, CDs, video games). One of the best sites to use is www.pluggedinonline.com . This site gives reviews of all the latest entertainment. If you want to see the content of a movie before you watch it, you must check out this site. Lindsey and I use it as well. The conversation in the Broome house usually goes something like this..."What do you want to rent?" "I'm up for whatever." "Hey, what about that movie called _______? I heard it was really awesome!" "Yeah, me too." "Hmmm, it's rated PG-13." "I wonder why." "Let's check out plugged in before we rent it." "Good plan." Sometimes Lindsey even gets in on the conversation I'm having with myself! You've gotta check this site out...especially before you buy your child the next CD, DVD, etc.
We mentioned Facebook, the mega-social network. Our advice is simple: If your child has a Facebook account, you also should have one. You need to be checking in on them to see what's happening in their social network.
Overall, what the high school pastor and I suggested to our parents is to be actively involved in your child's internet life. Don't allow them to have "secret places" on the world-wide web. The primary issue is their own protection and purity.
I hope you can use some of these tools in your family!