{"id":75086,"date":"2017-06-20T05:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-06-20T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=75086"},"modified":"2025-08-26T01:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T08:25:08","slug":"the-one-skill-all-parents-should-be-homeschooling-kids-in-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/the-one-skill-all-parents-should-be-homeschooling-kids-in-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"The #1 Skill All Parents Should Be Homeschooling Kids in This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith, your child’s decision to post inappropriate content online is why we’ve decided to rescind our previous invitation to attend Harvard University.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Can you imagine getting an email or a phone call to that effect? Hopes and dreams dashed because of a careless, crude, or unwise online\u00a0conversation a very bright kid\u00a0assumed<\/em>\u00a0would be kept private. Every day it becomes more and more clear that hasty, online choices can have permanent, real-world consequences.<\/p>\n

~ ~ ~<\/strong><\/p>\n

That very scenario recently happened when\u00a0Harvard University announced rescinded admission letters of 10 students accused of sharing sexually explicit and sometimes racist images in a private online message group.<\/p>\n

Such a sad, albeit familiar, headline peppering our digital peripheral today. Only this time, the consequence happened to would-be Harvard students, (which obliterates our private, silent theory that perhaps it’s only ignorant, unsupervised, aimless kids that mess up [big time] online).<\/p>\n

The task for parents armed with the lesson of this latest story? It may be a chance to maximize the summer hours\u00a0with your kids and zero in on homeschooling in\u00a0Social Appropriateness 101<\/em>. Could the faux pas’ and slip-ups be closer to your family’s domain than you are comfortable admitting?<\/p>\n

So where do we start? Rather than go aimlessly into Google\u00a0universe, here’s a primer to help you equip your kids to make wise choices online.<\/p>\n

Social Appropriateness 101<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Grow, value discernment.\u00a0<\/strong>How do we teach our children to invest the necessary thought into all those hours of mindless clicks? How do we keep from raising kids who are digital lemmings who just go with the flow? We make discernment, and growing it,\u00a0a defined value in our home. Discernment \u2014 the ability to judge well \u2014 is a skill that develops over time. Sound digital behavior hinges on a child’s ability to discern between wise and unwise content; careful and impulsive behaviors.The online culture gives our discernment a workout every second. Information comes at us quickly and provokes a dozen emotions at once. Remember:\u00a0<\/em>If it\u2019s tough for adults to pause and reflect before posting, imagine how tough it is for kids to show restraint and discernment online (don’t forget, kids’ brains do not fully form until they are 24)! Here are ten questions <\/a>to help kids build judgment and critical thinking skills. A good rule of thumb in posting anything: When in DOUBT \u2014 just DON’T.<\/li>\n
  2. Discuss empathy often.<\/strong>\u00a0Empathy is making an attempt to understand another person\u2019s struggle and is a powerful way to combat bullying and discrimination. Understanding and extending empathy force us to humanize those we often seek to stereotype, judge, or malign. As part of your homeschooling efforts, this summer, teaching compassion\u00a0for others should be at the top of the list. For a deeper dive into empathy go over these points<\/a>\u00a0with your kids.<\/li>\n
  3. Get back to basics.<\/strong> Kids often bemoan that teachers and parents deluge them with lectures about online safety and smart posting (mine does). Still, smart kids make dumb mistakes every day. So ignore the eye rolling and get back to the basics that help kids\u00a0understand their digital footprint <\/a>and the responsibility that comes with owning a digital device of any kind. Pose these questions to your child:\n