Back To the Future: Time To Be A Parent Again

By  //  February 5, 2014

sheriff shares tips about online safety

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — As we continue our series on parenting, I would like to personally thank everyone for sharing our previous messages with their family and friends.

First and foremost, as parents we have to support our educators in providing our children with an education that will lead them toward success. As law enforcement officers, we see a direct correlation between a child that is struggling academically and juvenile crime. Most signs occur around 7th grade. When a child starts to struggle in school they often look elsewhere for approval and acceptance.
First and foremost, as parents we have to support our educators in providing our children with an education that will lead them toward success. As law enforcement officers, we see a direct correlation between a child that is struggling academically and juvenile crime. Most signs occur around 7th grade. When a child starts to struggle in school they often look elsewhere for approval and acceptance.

By sharing our Weekly Crime Prevention Tip, you help us reach thousands of citizens instantly with vital crime prevention and safety information that can help keep our community safe.

In the previous tips of this series, we discussed the challenges that impact both parents and children, as well as how to recognize potential warning signs or red flags that your child may be struggling to stay on the right track.

This week I want to discuss how parents, law enforcement officers and our educators must work together to develop tomorrow’s leaders.

As law enforcement officers, we see a direct correlation between a child that is struggling academically and juvenile crime. Most signs occur around 7th grade. When a child starts to struggle in school they often look elsewhere for approval and acceptance.

Today’s educators have limited measures available to them to control the actions of students, therefore, have limited control of the classroom. In our “Time To Be A Parent Again” seminar we show a slide that depicts the difference between the parent/teacher relationships 30 years ago vs. today.

First and foremost, as parents we have to support our educators in providing our children with an education that will lead them toward success.

As law enforcement officers, we see a direct correlation between a child that is struggling academically and juvenile crime. Most signs occur around 7th grade. When a child starts to struggle in school they often look elsewhere for approval and acceptance.

Today’s educators have limited measures available to them to control the actions of students, therefore, have limited control of the classroom.

In our “Time To Be A Parent Again” seminar we show a slide that depicts the difference between the parent/teacher relationships 30 years ago vs. today.

The slide demonstrates that in earlier years, parents stood with the teacher asking the student to explain poor grades. The depiction for today demonstrates the parents standing next to the student, demanding that the teacher explain the poor grades.

I believe it is extremely important to support our children, but equally as important to make sure our children understand that they are responsible for their own actions. Our children must focus on their academic efforts and understand the consequences for poor performance.

The next step to help parents steer their children toward success is to make sure that parents understand that they are the chief law enforcement officer in their child’s life.

The following are social media and technology suggestions:

1. Talk to your child about what information is appropriate to share on line. Any image or comment posted or shared is forever on line.

The "It's Time To Be A Parent Again" course is designed for single parents, moms and dads, grandparents, those who are doing it right or a parent that is not quite sure how to be effective in your child's life. The seminar includes a legal overview from our State Attorney's Office. (BCSO image)
The “It’s Time To Be A Parent Again” course is designed for single parents, moms and dads, grandparents, those who are doing it right or a parent that is not quite sure how to be effective in your child’s life. The seminar includes a legal overview from our State Attorney’s Office. (BCSO image)

2. Go over privacy settings with your children and make sure they are structured so that they are unable to be changed.

3. Keep an “Open Password” policy with your children so that you can ALWAYS monitor their on-line activities.

4. Periodically check the browser history on their personal or shared computer to evaluate what types of websites they are viewing.

5. If your child refuses to share their passwords or access to their computers with you, take away their access to the devices. Remember you are the parent and they live under your roof, therefore you are in control. There is nothing that prohibits a parent from taking away computers, cellular telephones or any other luxury that today’s children enjoy.

6. Don’t be afraid to discipline your child. Appropriate discipline is one of the most important lessons we can teach, and also, one of the most important lessons they will carry on to parenthood later in life.

As we close out our series on this important topic, I strongly encourage each of our parents to keep a constant vigil on their children’s activities, but also ask that that they maintain open channels of communication with their children.

As I said at the very beginning of our series on this topic, parenting is one of the most demanding jobs, but is also one of the most rewarding.

Again, thank you for taking the time to review our Weekly Crime Prevention Tip and for sharing with your family and friends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey

Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft.

That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases.

Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.

Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.