Christ Cartoon

I seated a child on computer in the library today and scanned the surrounding screens for mischief, as I always do. A ten year old boy was looking at a game in which the object was to crucify Jesus. A colorful cartoon of Christ on the cross was labled with instructions on how to pound the spikes.

Someone designed that game. Perhaps it was done in retribution for the insulting cartoons of Muhammed that were around a few months ago. Meanness for meaness. Maybe it's because of the war. Still meaness and it makes my heart ache.

I've had to take kids off sites that were vulgar. "But it's a commercial--it's funny, see?" This from a sweet little girl watching a man leap out of bed dressed only in his shorts. It was relatively inoffensive, but the fact that a woman was in bed with him had set my alarms off. I've seen little boys line up behind girls who were playing on paper doll sites where the dolls were life-like and dressed in bras and panties.

I once took a teenager off a game with such exquistite graphics of a small convenience store I first thought it was a video. Every item on the counter and shelves behind the clerk was clear and identifiable. The problem arose at checkout time when the customer shot the elderly clerk straight in the face with a gun.

We have My Space locked out on juvenile computers. Kids aren't happy about it but older ones just go upstairs and log onto adult computers where it's available. Several of my teens and twenties friends have great blogs on My Space, but they also have the maturity to know what to put in those blogs. Unfortunately, adults with ulterior motives trawl looking for pictures and personal information on young kids too innocent to realize they're putting themselves in jeopardy. It's also an easy way to pass on drug information.

So if your kids play games on computers, check to see if they're driving tanks through desert towns and blowing up civilians (yep, seen that one, too.) Do they have a blog on My Space? Are they old enough? Have you spoken to them about the dangers? Don't just read their blog, see who they're linked to. Do you like their choice of friends and subject material or does it require some input from you? Does you son say he looks at funny stuff? You might want to give that a gander and see if his idea of funny includes bashing minorities or if this is where he's getting his sex-ed.

If the screen is off, but the computer light is on and your child is "doing" homework, check. Look at the bottom of the screen to see if the buttons listed are as innocent as the homework screen. One more thing. IM messages can take up all your kid's time. Do you know if they have that program? Do you know who they message. Work, huh?

Don't Toss That Mini Photo Book!

I'm a big fan of those little photo books that are popping up in the mail as free gifts from charities. I know, most folks toss them, but they have some dandy uses if you just think creatively. I like the ones best where you can insert your own cover photo but the others will do in a pinch.

Tuck small note cards with envelopes inside the sleeve or cover; add a couple of stamps and address labels and you can write a friendly greeting whenever you have a spare minute, especially if you include addresses. I also use it as a mini control journal (ala FlyLady). On separate index cards I write my morning and evening routines, current to-do list, folks I'm praying for, Bible verses or bright ideas. I jot down writing prompts so I don't forget them and prayer requests when someone tells me their problems. Keep blank cards in the back; when a card has served its purpose, throw it away.

You can use them for gifts, especially for seniors (they're light as a feather.) Put your picture on the front, or your friend's pet, add specially chosen Bible verses or quotes, a couple of ATC's, if you make them, a tiny sketch, a recipe, stick in a few store coupons, phone numbers for local cab companies, extra index cards.

If you want it to be a bit more attractive cut colored paper to size, but as FlyLady says, don't obsess, it doesn't have to be perfect, your friend will enjoy its convenience and your thoughtfulness.

Freecycle -- Bless Folks and the Environment All at the Same TIme

I recently signed up with a local Freecycle group. It's a dandy idea, especially when you've caught the declutter bug from FlyLady. People post anything they want to offer (for free--no making money here) and wait to see if they get any takers. My sweet Amazon parrot died of old age a couple of months ago so I offered her lovely big cage. Last count I had seven hopefuls. The first fellow in the e-mail queue came but couldn't get the cage in his car. He'll be back tomorrow, and if not, there are six more bird lovers waiting in line. I have things I've been wanting to give away for years--now I can finally connect with people who can use them. Of course, Freecycle works the other way around too. You can post whatever you need and wait for someone to reply. What a nice way to bless folks and the environment, too. Check Yahoo Groups for your local chapter.