Thursday, February 7, 2013
The lives of family members are so intertwined. Where does the privacy of your child end and your right to parent begin? Tricky question, for sure. This week, the Parents Yap about privacy.
Melissa Schools “What are you writing about? Are you writing about us??” My nine year old has become an avid consumer of information not necessarily directed at or intended for him. This is especially aggravating because when I speak to him directly, he absorbs roughly a quarter of the information issuing from my mouth. But, oh, how that boy loves to eavesdrop on telephone conversations, read over my shoulder on Facebook and recite any texts that arrive for me when I’m not near my phone. Thank goodness my husband is not into “sexting…!” For a boy who has been straining for independence since he was an infant, it has proven to be a very difficult concept to understand why some things in a parent-child relationship are not a two way street. …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
If you are licensed to own a gun, would you want your name and address publicized?
A news publication in New York is under scrutiny for publishing the names and addresses of gun owners. Less than two weeks after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., the New York Journal News earlier this week published the names and addresses of local gun owners in three New York counties. A story titled, "The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood," highlights the names and addresses of residents who are licensed to own handguns. The Journal News got the data through Freedom of Information Law requests, according to The Huffington Post. The Journal News reportedly requested the information from New York's Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, though the publication was only able to …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled police don't need a search warrant to look at a cell phone's call list after arresting the phone's owner. As courts around the country grapple with the issue, tell us: is this reasonable search and seizure?
What's the difference between personal information and correspondence you have physically stored in your home, and similar information that's on your cell phone? And what should police have access to without a warrant? It's a question that courts across the nation are dealing with it and one that arose here in Massachusetts on Wednesday, when the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that police don't need a search warrant to look at the call list of a person's cell phone while searching that person's personal property after an arrest. However, in writing the court's opinion for Commonwealth vs. Demetrius A. Phifer, Justice Margot Botsford cited other court cases that raise questions about the extent that law enforcement officials can access …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Patch Mamas share how their families feel about their writing articles about them each week. How does your family feel about sharing stories to your family or friends online?
Jillian Sallee When I was first asked to join the Patch Mamas, I was definitely a little nervous about opening myself up and sharing my thoughts and parenting ideas to the general public of Wakefield. I am born and raised Wakefield, so I know people...lots of people. All of a sudden, these people who I may just know casually around town are going to know my innermost thoughts, feelings, and secrets! Ok, it’s not that dramatic, but I am putting myself out there. I think I’m an honest person and when I write I tell the whole truth. To me, there would be no point joining these brave women if all I was going to write about was sunshine and roses. Choosing how far to put myself out there is a constant challenge as well. Some might say I …
Melissa Schools
7:06 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
Thank you for your feedback, Robert!I have had some measure of success in letting my son "win" when he keeps a cool head and sticks to the point instead of dissolving into ad hominum attacks-- it seems to be building up a little foundation of trust back up so that I have hope of breaking the cycle we're in. I also have tried to be more deliberate about giving him affection and praise in between … more ›