For me this was disturbing,which prompted me to write a post about it,which if you follow this blog you may already know that I only post about positive and/or family values related media that align with my faith. Monday I shared this horrible incident on my Facebook page
“Everyday the news about kids and murders become more common and more disturbing! And y’all still think what they are exposed to in the media have no ramifications right?”
So these girls say they had been planning this attack for months to please a fictional demon like character “SLENDER MAN”! They had been visiting death and killing websites creepypasta wiki prior to the attack. What did the parents miss? Did they not monitor what these 12 year olds kids surf on the web?
PARENTS “Slender Man” has been around for a while on the internet, I remember my own son telling Me he had seen a YouTube video 2 years ago and he was scared! I had a talk with both him and his friend about this disturbing video then. And how a video like that, that instills fear even though it’s not real is not appropriate to watch and that did not encourage anything positive or beneficial. So if my kid encountered Slenderman I am sure yours has too. Just ask them “hey do you know who Slenderman is”? Don’t be surprised!
I needed them to know that stuff like that only take you down a dark path in life. But as a Mom of 2 boys I want to make sure that I am in the know of all that they are exposed to and influenced by. So I start those conversations the moment I hear something is not right, Yes I am “THAT” parent. But I just want to clarify to them & make sure they understand what is correct and acceptable and not by the worlds standards as we have seen can be very skewed. But by a biblical standard and encourage acceptable standards of behavior and beliefs.
Luke 11:34
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
Parents it is SOOO IMPERATIVE that WE do our duty as Parents. OUR children are exposed to a plethora of information via the web. Keeping our children safe is much more of a challenge now than when we were kids. The internet has changed the way we live. Sure it offers an array of wonderful websites to encourage, entertain and teach but it also has many many sites that are just plain wicked, dark, lewd, graphic, and gruesome. And once entered it leaves our children vulnerable to child predators and other evils lurking in the dark, in this case Slenderman. Although this is a fictional character we need to make sure that they know when to draw the line between reality and fiction.
I know many times WE don’t really pay attention to our children’s silly stories or mind much what they were shown by a friend on YouTube, we shrug it off right? But it’s so important to LISTEN to them and talk to them about what they are communicating to you. There’s so much more… they may be reaching out or headed down the wrong path,yet we didn’t take the time. And it’s very sad that these girls went down this dark path with signs of little or no remorse whatsoever. I just can’t imagine being THAT parent right now.
I know we probably cannot eliminate all the influences; we can, however, counter them with an alternate point of view. Invite your kids to discuss & assess how Television, Video games, Music, Social Media and the web impact their moods, attitudes and behavior. What our kids listen to, watch, and read have a powerful influence on their lives. Unfortunately, the messages are often lies the media portrays as healthy, normal behavior among kids today. As a Christian Mom I share with my kids and their friends my Christian perspective and values. I welcome open dialogue on current events that would be of interest to them and use movies and music as a springboard for discussion about relationship and friendship choices and consequences. In addition to sharing a Christian perspective and values directly with today’s youth,we have to also equip other parents, siblings, friends, teachers, pastors and other adults to listen carefully,speak clearly, and encourage critical thinking.
Here are a few Ways that I stay “In the know” of what influences my kids and how I can keep them safe
•Get to know their friends- Who they hang out with at school or in the neighborhood can influence their choices and behavior greatly. Encourage them to seek out friendship with kids with the same values you are trying to instill in them. Invite them over and get to know them. Nurture them and love them as your own you may have an impact on them
•know the shows/films you kids are watching- the program content can either reinforce your values of oppose them.Talk to your kids about the show topic, it just may turn into a learning experience.
•Monitor your kids internet activity keep the computer with web access in an open public area of the home. If your kids have mobile devices there are plenty of apps that can monitor your kids online activity too.
•Tune into Their Music- Music is a huge influence, so listen to the lyrics. Raising my boys in a Christian home I have to stress that I also have talks about the rap songs and what they Really mean! Don’t be shy, and break it down for them.
Every parent reading this I’m sure will be having a conversation with their kids about this horrible incident,but I pray that this frightening event will not repeat itself. I hope that you will take something away from this that will help you develop healthy morals and values. I’m asking you to be proactive with your parenting in addressing all the forms of media influences,and help our kids make wise decisions and be able to discern the message they receive.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Please comment below your thoughts regarding this incident.
Thanks for this post. I’m not yet a mom and I don’t pay much attention to the news, so I had no idea what the Slender man reference was in the headlines re these girls.However I think your points are spot on – know your kids, their habits, their interests and their friends. Engage them in conversations about their life. A life can be well-formed by such attention.
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WOW! So scary. I use commonsensemedia.org to look up movies, shows, games that I will be introducing to my kids. So important to be informed as to what your child is watching/hearing/reading.
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WOW! I use commonsensemedia.org to see about movies, shows, books, or games. It is so important to know what your child is reading/hearing/watching.
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This was one of the most disturbing events I’ve heard about in a long time, and I didn’t know what Slender Man even referred to. All parents need to stay involved and talk to their children about core values, regardless of their religion.
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So true. We as parents need to watch and act on what our children see.
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My kids get so mad I am so strict about what they watch and their computer and iTouch access. When I see things like that I know I am doing the right thing.
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It’s scary how kids can be so affected by things they find online! I agree with all of your ways to “stay in the know” with your kids. Knowing their friends, and what they watch as well as sites they visit online is so important.
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I heard about this on the news the other day and I thank god my kids are too young to be on the internet, but I need to make sure the parental controls are on when they are old enough.
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I am aware of Slender as my son told me about it a few years ago. He is a teen and it disturbed even him. I think things that our kids are exposed to play a huge role in the increase of kid violence. Most parents don’t give a second thought to letting their kids play first person shooter games. How can that not affect them? As my kids are getting older, I am more and more aware that I need to monitor their internet usage and make sure their games are appropriate. Thanks for helping to spread the word.
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Good for you for being a PARENT to your kids and not a friend!! Kids need their parents’ protection and discipline.
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That’s horrifying! I definitely hadn’t heard about this but my kids are older so I’m not surprised.
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You can’t shelter kids from everything but having those discussions about what they are introduced to is so important. They need help pioneering everything they see.
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This is a great post! My kids thankfully hadn’t heard of Slender Man yet but I had a talk with them since this incident happened.
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Wow this is scary. All of my kids are younger, under five, but this Slender Man thing is very alarming. I try to keep them as close as possible but I worry about what will happen when they get older. It seems like incidents like this are becoming more of the norm now and as a parent this is very scary.
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Great ideas for keeping “in the know.” Thanks 🙂
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I mourn the days of childhood that were those of our generation. I was allowed to play on my bike for hours and not return until dinner time… no cell phone, imagine that. An interesting article I read last month documented the shift in parenting styles from our parents to us. Somewhere along the way, “parenting” to us became “supervision”. So long as we have our children close to us and our eyes on where they are, we have come to believe we are “parenting”. But what good is having them close if they are involved in social media and internet activity which is harming them? Would the outdoors not be better? This article also stated that the general consensus seems to be “Well, it’s a different world now than it was then”. But statistically, it’s not. Kidnapping and such things went on much more when we were children… it simply didn’t make the news as much. We didn’t have social media.
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I read a news article about this. Very disturbing.
We have strict rules for my daughter and the internet. And we definitely have discussions about things like this.
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I heard about this story, and it’s so disturbing. I always tried to monitor what my children watched and read online when they were younger.
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I have 2 teens 17 and 15 they usually play games, listen music, watch videos on youtube but my husband and I are always close. When the new hit my house I had to google it, because we had no clue what was the slenderman. After goggling it I remembered I saw a supernatural episode sorta alike. I guess my kids and us read more often than use the pc.
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I’m a 22 year-old boarding mistress employed to help care for 60+ teenage girls aged 14-16 years old. I can see both sides of the fence; I’m only 22, so I was a teen myself not that long ago. Yet when my kids tell me about stuff they watch/listen to/do I shudder like a 45 year-old parent.
I think it’s important to be well connected into your kids’ lives, have open conversations and be balanced and disciplined when it comes to media. It sure can be destructive; I see the effects of eating disorders, self-harm and poor self-image all the time.
But I have to stress, from the kids’ point of view, PLEASE
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… do not be judgemental! (whoops, hit the wrong button up there so I’ll continue here.)
I understand how they stuff they get up to gives us chills. I know why certain influences are negative and harmful.
But nothing gets kids more frustrated than parents on their high-horse about something they haven’t even taken the time to learn about.
Please bring an open mind to the conversation and be willing to listen, even if you know you have to say ‘no’ in the end. They will probably still be mad at you for a while, but they’ll get over it much faster. 🙂
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This is one of the reasons why I homeschool, I can totally see what children and influences are around my children .
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This is such a tragic story that such evil could influence these young girls. My questions are: where were the parents? Were they getting enough positive attention and guidance. I thank God everyday for allowing my kids to be full of such light. I hope my kids never go down this evil path!
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Wow! This is really scary! I have to admit that I have been guilty of not monitoring everything but then again my son doesn’t really watch but the stuff we put in front of him. I know it will come a time when he will be looking for his own stuff online but this is really scary. I’m so glad you pointed this out and helping us as parents know and be aware.
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