Did I do the right thing?

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
I have a neice in the 5th grade. She lives here, and my parents are her legal guardians. She's been spending a HELLACIOUSLY huge amount of time on teh intarweb lately, using a machine that I intentionally crippled to keep her out of most of the internet's pitfalls of stupidity - 33.6 modem, MacOS 8.5, FoolProof security software (It's hellaciously secure in the mac version, despite the PC version sucking balls)

However, on my way into the house today, I checked the mail and noticed a bigarse yellow envelope in the mailbox. I grabbed it, checked the name, it's addressed to her, and the return address is someone in OHIO. We know nobody in Ohio.

Needless to say, I quickly put 2 and 2 together, I had overheard her asking my parents our address, phone number and such. Checked out that rig, found lots of text files containing her passwords to various stuff and contact information for other people, including the very same person that had sent this letter.

After a brief consultation with dad, he told me he'd handle her and that I should do whatever is neccessary to make sure it NEVER happens again. Her Windows domain logon has been suspended and the machine that she used for the Internet is no longer physically present, and I dropped an advisory on every machine's runonce to make sure that everyone knows that she is not to touch ANY computer until further notice by the Administrator (me) - further notice being AFTER SHE MOVES THE HELL OUT. Dad is 100% okay with this and agrees completely - we look upon each user's Internet access (and computer access in general) being a privilege rather than a right, contingent upon the policy that "One screw-up and it's gone." She screwed up- HARDCORE.

The only computer equipment she's ever touching again will belong to a school, and if any of her teachers have any sh!t to throw about not allowing her to type up reports and do research, they will get to talk to ME about it. I had all these teachers and know how they operate and I'm eleventy billion times meaner than any of them think they are. "Don't like my policies? I understand that the government pays you to babysit kids all day and make them feel good about themselves and that you thoroughly support medication and positive acknowledgement over punishment, but I do not. In fact, this FAMILY does not. That's why I'm successful and all those other little pansies that you've seen over the years are burger flippers. In short, find a damned school computer and make her use that, things aren't changing here"

So, does ATOT agree with my actions, or will I be strung up as an evil conservative? (And yes, I'm aware of the saying "If you're not a conservative by the time you're 30, you don't have a brain. If you're not a liberal before you're 20, you don't have a heart" -- I'm a heartless bitch.
 

ddwbi0

Senior member
Jun 22, 2002
530
0
0
i think watching over her is a good idea and all, but taking the computer away completly is a bit much i think. Couldnt you just set one up thats not connected to the internet at all, so she can least do schoolwork if needed?
 

shimsham

Lifer
May 9, 2002
10,765
0
0
did you run a check on who sent the package? what did it contain. thats quite scary.

i totally agree with the lock-down in this situation.
 

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
who was the letter from? what was the content? I think taking away the internet is enough. No need to take the computer away completely for games/school work. Sounds like you are overreacting to me (based on the presented evidence).
 

MacBaine

Banned
Aug 23, 2001
9,999
0
0
Was the letter from your girlfriend (the one that got tag-teamed on a boat by two other guys)?
 

Bryophyte

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
13,430
13
81
Why was she spending huge amounts of time on the internet unsupervised without someone placing limits on it? Why can't she use a computer with no internet connection? Why can't she ask for someone in the house to help her with anything she needs to do on the computer?

Have you considered how hard it must be for her to live with someone other than her parents? She is probably reaching out on the internet because she is lonely. Address her loneliness and she won't need that outlet.
 

PanzerIV

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2002
6,875
1
0
Originally posted by: SpazzyChicken
Wuzzle??? :confused:

What was in the envelope?

Yeah, man what was in that envelope!!? If it was from another 5th grader big deal..but was it from an adult????
 

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
Yes, she was aware of the rules and boundaries set for her, and she has broken them on numerous occasions (By crying until an adult gave in). Namely:
One hour intarweb/night (The line she uses to dial-in is the voice line)
DO NOT FSCKING PUT PASSWORDS ANYWHERE EXCEPT YOUR MIND
No online games. Period.
No filling out forms - period.
One email account - period.
DO NOT SAVE SH!T TO THE DESKTOP
Do not abuse the Macintosh internal speaker by using it to play rap music. Your headphones are fine, but my speaker is not.

And what was in the envelope? A letter, some pictures of a little girl and a cute puppy and some magnets (wtf?)
 

amcdonald

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2003
4,012
0
0
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Yes, she was aware of the rules and boundaries set for her, and she has broken them on numerous occasions (By crying until an adult gave in). Namely:
One hour intarweb/night (The line she uses to dial-in is the voice line)
DO NOT FSCKING PUT PASSWORDS ANYWHERE EXCEPT YOUR MIND
No online games. Period.
No filling out forms - period.
One email account - period.
DO NOT SAVE SH!T TO THE DESKTOP
Do not abuse the Macintosh internal speaker by using it to play rap music. Your headphones are fine, but my speaker is not.

And what was in the envelope? A letter, some pictures of a little girl and a cute puppy and some magnets (wtf?)
I think she's operating a child porn/beastiality ring under your nose. And god knows what those magnets are for... sicko.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,029
4,655
126
Someone, especially a ~10 year old child shouldn't be punished for life for doing one bad thing. Sure her parents SHOULD be quite strict and quite harsh in punishment. But you don't ruin this girl's life just to punish her. You are basically saying as her uncle, she will fail many of her school courses, she will not get scholarships to college, and if she does go to college she'll not have the skills to easilly succeed. Damn harsh punishment for getting a package.

Take the computer games away, take the internet away. But don't take away her ability to get good grades by typing her reports.

As a side note. The adults really need to learn from this. Under NO circumstances should you cave in and relax the rules due to begging. You can bend the rules due to GOOD behavior if you choose (and I encourage that), but not for begging.
 

TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
4,203
0
76
Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Why was she spending huge amounts of time on the internet unsupervised without someone placing limits on it? Why can't she use a computer with no internet connection? Why can't she ask for someone in the house to help her with anything she needs to do on the computer?

Have you considered how hard it must be for her to live with someone other than her parents? She is probably reaching out on the internet because she is lonely. Address her loneliness and she won't need that outlet.

 

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
bloody hell man. You trying to control everything else in her life as much as the damn computer? Seems it was a letter from another girl about her age then?

all i can say is
rolleye.gif
 

Bryophyte

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
13,430
13
81
Who is the girl? A friend from home or someone she met on the web? What does the browser history say about her online behavior (where does she hang out?)
 

Bootprint

Diamond Member
Jan 11, 2002
9,847
0
0
Originally posted by: amcdonald
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Yes, she was aware of the rules and boundaries set for her, and she has broken them on numerous occasions (By crying until an adult gave in). Namely:
One hour intarweb/night (The line she uses to dial-in is the voice line)
DO NOT FSCKING PUT PASSWORDS ANYWHERE EXCEPT YOUR MIND
No online games. Period.
No filling out forms - period.
One email account - period.
DO NOT SAVE SH!T TO THE DESKTOP
Do not abuse the Macintosh internal speaker by using it to play rap music. Your headphones are fine, but my speaker is not.

And what was in the envelope? A letter, some pictures of a little girl and a cute puppy and some magnets (wtf?)
I think she's operating a child porn/beastiality ring under your nose. And god knows what those magnets are for... sicko.

On a 33k modem and with Leet security software? ;)

Sounds like someones more pissed at getting pwned by a 5th grader.
 

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
Originally posted by: Bootprint

On a 33k modem and with Leet security software? ;)

Sounds like someones more pissed at getting pwned by a 5th grader.

LMAO