These kids today...

Excuse me while I get up on my soapbox and get all preachy and sound old, but yesterday, when I was working with the nine-year-old that I tutor each week (we'll call him Paul to protect his privacy), I found out he has a myspace page. He's nine! Never mind the fact that last weekend I happened upon an E! True Hollywood Story investigation that featured young kids on myspace being targeted by pedophiles, which was fresh in my mind when Paul told me about his website. Never mind the fact that the minimum age for a myspace account is 13, so his profile lies about his age, but if you look at his picture you can tell that he's clearly too young. And never mind the fact that I hate myspace (not the concept behind it, just the way the site is executed. I know, I'm in the minority, here.)

I'm all for the Internet and technology, but by not having those things as a kid, I feel like I had a much more innocent upbringing. I played outside and talked to people face-to-face. And I took to heart Officer Friendly's advice never to talk to strangers. Truth be told, Paul probably didn't have a chance of having the "innocent" childhood that I did. He lives in Harlem, shares a bedroom with his teenage sister and her newborn son, and is on a little league baseball team called The Gansters. So I guess it's my job to continue giving him that hour-and-a-half of one-on-one attention each week, help him with his homework, and listen to his stories.

Oh, and encourage him not to talk to strangers online.