We live in a split-second world of send it now, worry about it later. The difference between responding to something and reacting to something is more important now than ever before. Here's the difference.

Responding Online: Taking time to think it through before you post.
Reacting Online: Immediately posting when your emotions are high.

I don’t have to tell you which is the more favorable of the two responses. When I was younger I wasn’t exactly known for thinking things through. If something made me mad I would talk about it. Thankfully smartphones weren’t available to me at the time.

Prior to all things digital, impulsive behavior was usually contained by whoever was present to watch what happened or hear what happened at the time it happened.

Our impetuous decisions as kids weren’t documented to be viewed later

Manage Your Time

How we manage time as parents will be absorbed by our kids. Involve your older kids in the discussion about whom you will spend your time with and where that time will be spent. Discuss the importance of not overdoing anything and trying to have balance. Remind them it’s okay to sit quietly and read or sit quietly and create or meditate. Meditating on God’s Word has become a lost art in our modern world. “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:17 NLT

Open Your Heart

Having a big heart toward others is a valuable behavior for our children to see modeled because it shows

I was running late to catch a plane from Detroit to my home in California and when I'm in a hurry I get tunnel vision and in this case my tunnel vision was to the departures terminal.

When I get tunnel vision I tend to overlook, miss or otherwise not notice what's going on around me. While hurrying across the bridge from then rental car shuttle drop to the departure area something out of the ordinary caught my attention. It was two people dancing.

I stopped and moved closer to the window and right there on the freezing curb there were three people standing next to a taxi. Two dancing and one watching. It wasn’t break, disco, or ballroom. Just your standard run of the mill dancing. To my knowledge there wasn’t any music, they were making their own.

After a closer look I realized it was a father dancing with

Remember our verse from part 1? Proverbs 27:12 says: “A prudent person foresees the danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

Or, “A prudent parent foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton parent goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” As parents, we need to see the dangers ahead, and we must take precautions.

What can you do to protect your child online? Here is part 2, numbers 6-10.

6. Teach your child to never give out personal information.

Free! That’s the word. It’s captivating. It’s intriguing; and it’s free! Usually, sites that are trying to get information start by asking a simple question. Maybe it’s your first name, your age, or the last grade you completed in school. This may be followed up by a few more seemingly innocuous questions, like the name of a favorite animal or the name of a pet.

Continue to remind your children

Proverbs 27:12 says: “A prudent person foresees the danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

I have started reading this verse a new way, “A prudent parent foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton parent goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” As parents, we need to see the dangers ahead, and we must take precautions.

What can you do to protect your child online? Here are numbers 1-5 out of 10.

1. Use Internet filtering software on your computers.

Your kids may not be looking for inappropriate content, but if they spend enough time on the computer, it will come looking for them. An ad or pop-up alert may get their attention, and before you know it, they are off and running. A simple Google search for a project they are researching for school may return a successful search for what they are looking for, but occasionally it will also include undesirable sites.

Internet filtering software or content control software can

Accessibility is the new normal.
With one device we can order Pizza, watch Pornography and Meet New People we know nothing about. Take a look at these statistics from an article entitled “Online Safety For Kids” at FindLaw.com.

• 71% of teens 13-17 say they received messages online from someone they did not know.
• 40% of those receiving messages said they usually reply and chat back.
• 30% of teens 13-17 have considered meeting someone they have only talked to online.
• 14% have actually had an encounter with someone they met online.

When I was growing up the best advice was don’t ever take candy from strangers and never get in their van, yet our kids have the opportunity to get into a digital van every waking minute of every day. If we