Have an intelligent conversation about what is going on…
“Some of the examples you gave of how the program helped parents were pretty extreme, which is wonderful. On a much simpler note, I love being able to read about what is going on with the day to day activities of my 13 year old. The naive parents think that it is so invasive and that you don’t trust your child or are not giving them privacy. At 13 they don’t deserve privacy. The best thing about the program is simply being able to direct your conversations with your child about what is going on and having an intelligent two sided conversation about topics of concern. All of this is important to do before it is too late.”
K. Mellea, College Station, TX
It’s good to know there is a program like this…
“Thank you for asking. It has helped me a lot. My child goes on different sites and chats with their buddies from school. My child’s story is a little different. It lets me know who’s online and what the conversation is about. Some of it was about school difficulties and why they are failing. But other than that it’s good to know there is a program like this. And thanks again for asking.”
J. Goodsmith, Youngstown OH
You can still rest assured that they’re safe…
“It has helped me immensely! When your son/daughter stops talking or telling you what’s going on in their life, it’s wonderful that you can still rest assured that they’re safe!”
A. & P. Bachus, Chandler, AZ
We all appreciate what McGruff SafeGuard has done for us…
“You said you would like to know how McGruff SafeGuard has helped with our children. My daughter is 13 yrs. old and is on her Instant Messaging A LOT!! When I first purchased McGruff SafeGuard, I was planning on keeping it secret and I did for awhile. Then I realized that I needed to have a talk with my daughter about topics and language that I saw other people using. I came clean with her about McGruff SafeGuard and we were able to have a heart-to-heart talk about why some of the things I was seeing were not good for her. We use McGruff SafeGuard to limit her time used if we see she is not being wise with her time. But most of all it has opened up a parenting & coaching tool that we use to train our daughter to be more responsible. We all, including her (most of the time), appreciate what McGruff SafeGuard has done for us!!”
G. Rogerson, Belleville, MO
Helped me encourage his self-esteem…
“I don’t have any life changing stories but I do have one thing. My son was being bullied by girls. They were saying very mean things to him. McGruff SafeGuard helped me see that he was doing nothing to provoke this. I was able to talk to him and encourage him to ignore the comments and block the users that were saying these things to him. It opened the door for me to talk about etiquette and by pointing out that members of the opposite sex can be bullies too. I also tried to encourage his self esteem. I was also able to put a stop to any foul language he was using in conversations and explain that the computer shouldn’t be a license to say and do things he normally wouldn’t.”
K. Pollad, Huntington, WV
Of course I said yes…
“I used my McGruff SafeGuard to monitor my son’s chats. My 16 year old son has lived with his mother for many years. He asked to come live with me. Of course I said yes.”
D. Lowery, Wellesley, MA
I feel much safer in knowing that I don’t have to sit idly…
“I don’t have a drop you in your tracks story about how McGruff SafeGuard has saved my child from this or that. But I did want to take a second to tell you that in today’s world, my children are growing up in a different climate than I did. Everyone can pretty much put their finger on that, but it really makes parenting hard when you don’t realize how different it is. Here I think I’m talking to her about what I need to be and that I’m parenting in the right way. However, what I found after installing McGruff SafeGuard , were clues on things that actually were affecting her. I could see I had a sullen and moody pre-teen/teenager on my hands, but for the life of me, I couldn’t drag the reasons out of her. However, in the past few months, by just perusing her conversations and making my own attempts to limit my “eavesdropping”, I have picked up clues to things I needed to be aware of. I have been able to steer conversations into areas we hadn’t yet touched and get her to actually open up more and know that it was okay for her to talk to me. I honestly believe she just didn’t know who to broach some subjects. I now see a happier child and I feel like I made the right choice. Maybe someday I will have a drop you in your tracks story. I hope not. However, I feel much safer in knowing that I don’t have to sit idly by and watch it happen.”
B. Snyder, Daytona Beach, FL
My job as a parent is to keep my child safe…
“This program has enabled me to keep track of my son and his friends, what they are really doing and where they are really going! I’ve been able to get passwords and look at MySpace sites, email, etc. I now know when to question my son (without, of course, him knowing where I get the information!). A parent has to pick their battles and McGruff SafeGuard enables me to do just that. Some would say that it’s snooping and intrusive but my job as a parent is to keep my child safe and to do that, I need to know what’s going on. And McGruff SafeGuard helps me to do that!”
M. A. Kennis, Coram, NY
Made me feel real good…
“I would like to share a story with you. The first night I had started with the McGruff SafeGuard I read a conversation between my daughter and a friend in which she learned that one of her friends was cutting herself. My head was spinning wondering what, if anything , I could do with this info. Not 5 minutes later my daughter come downstairs and told me about it. Made me feel real good that she had the good sense to tell me something that important. Thanks again.”
V. Cage, Lebanon, NH
Keeps the communication open between parent and child…
“My story is not so dramatic, but it is very common. When kids start using instant messaging, they don’t really understand the etiquette. They get very bold and will say things they wouldn’t say face to face, or they gossip without thinking about the consequences. Being able to monitor their conversations has been great because a) they and their friends know there’s a parent there, b) it helps them learn to use this technology in a respectful manner, and c) it keeps the communication open between parent and child.”
J. Holman, Greenville, MI