Customer Reviews

MySpace for Moms and Dads: A Guide to Understanding the Risks and the Rewards

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Perhaps it's inconceivable only to me, but, somehow, I've found myself the parent of a teenager this past year. And right on cue, my son is asking for all of the adolescent accessories--email accounts, a cell phone, and a TV and Internet access in his bedroom. I've conceded on the email account but the rest will have to wait. A teen should come with a Surgeon General's Warning. "Caution: Raising a teen may result in sleepless nights and increased anxiety levels."

If you're the parent of a teen, you owe it to yourself to introduce yourself to Connie Neal. Connie is an author and speaker who specialty is understanding "the intersection of parenting and pop culture." Connie is the deep breath that every parent needs to take before hyperventilating over all the challenge of raising godly children in the American culture.

Connie's latest book, MYSPACE FOR MOMS AND DADS, is designed to help busy parents understand the Internet phenomena known as social networking. "Social Networking" is using home computers and the Internet to connect with peer and to make new friendships. Some of the more popular social networking websites include Myspace and Facebook. Parents might be aware and wary of social networking due to a rash recent news stories that detail how sexual predators have used Myspace to connect with teens and lure them into face-to-face meetings.

Connie uses her calming logic and sanity to calm parents and to give them the tools they need to navigate this new world of social networking. Connie defuses the emotional charge surrounding social networking with her methodical treatment of the book. Part One explains what the history of social networking. Part Two walks as parent through the mechanics of setting up a "Myspace" account. In Part Three, Connie explains the draw of Myspace on teenagers. Teens use social networking to meet God-given developmental needs. Connie helps you connect with your teens' needs by reminding you of their basic relational needs to connect and to express themselves. Finally, Connie offers a Christian framework to Christian parents decide if Myspace is right for their teens.

One of the most valuable features of the book is a section that trains parents how to customize the Myspace profile to reduce the risk of teens encountering unsafe people or on-line "friends" with unchristian values. Parents will also be equipped with the proper questions to ask their teens to help monitor their healthy use of Myspace.

Readers familiar with Connie Neal's writing know that she is biased toward engaging culture and for using cultural trends to train discerning teenagers. Connie's "Walking Talk in Babylon" is her manifesto calling parents to train children capable of interpreting and discerning the cultural messages that surround them. Don't expect to hear a simplistic "Myspace is good" or "Myspace is evil" from Connie. Instead, she'll give you the information you'll need to engage your teenager regarding this important issue.

After reading MYSPACE FOR MOMS AND DADS, I'm not ready to give my teen permission to join for now. However, this will be a valuable guide to refer to when my oldest is a bit older and wiser

The book is a good guide to technical aspects of myspace but really intends to remind parents to be knowledgeable of, and involved in, their children's lives. The contemporary reality is that myspace is often a significant part of a child's socialization and needs to be taken seriously. The book is straightforward, practical and broken down into sections. It can be used as either a cover-to-cover narrative or as a reference book. Good organization, abundant charts and graphics, and a large type font make it exceptionally user friendly. A good read.

LB

I love this book! It is full of clear, practical help for us, the parent, to use to decide about our teen's use of My Space. It answered all my questions about navigating My Space in a straight forward, step by step manner that was easy to follow. The author's use of charts and graphs and all the information from experts in child safety, etc. were very helpful. The information from this book helped me open up communication with my kids, this is one of the BEST THINGS about the book! Ms. Neal obviously wants parents and teens to have good relationships and to communicate with one another in a loving positive way. The exercises that she has through out the book really help open those lines of communication in a non-threatening way. The child development information she has in the book is very insightful and helpful, too. My kids and I have had some good conversations about my concerns regarding My Space and how they can stay safe and use it wisely. This book helped me make good decisions regarding their use of My Space and other social networking sites. It especially helped me feel confident that they could use it safely and it opened my eyes to the possibilities for using My Space for wonderful things. I definitely recommend it for every parent with teens.

GREAT book. VERY helpful. I have a 16 year old son who has a myspace. I have had one(A my space) since he has, insisting that I be a "friend" for monitoring purposes. Was I ever glad to find this book and know that I am NOT a lone ranger! I tell everyone about this book. NO parent should allow their kid on My Space without having a space of their own and really understanding what it is all about.

This book will help even the most computer illiterate parent navigate and understand My Space. You will be AMAZED at what you will discover about your teen and their world by exploring their My Space with them, as suggested.

I LOVED the insight into teens today..why the internet is so important to them. Lets face it, parents, the world has changed since we were teens! Dont be left in the dark...Connie has done the work for you. If you can read, you can navigate AND understand My Space! Get a copy today and enter your teens world!

This book comes at such a perfect time. The explosion of teen and pre-teen usage of MYSPACE (and other sites) is incredible. Connie Neal has provided a perfect way for parents to get up to speed. It's evident in this book that she not only wishes to provide help for concerned parents (who aren't as savvy), but has a real love for kids. For those of us who tend to be technology impaired, thank God that Connie Neal provides a painless way to keep up!

This is a timely, well written book. My space is everywhere. This book explains why this has become such a huge site,why teens want to be a part of it all,but mostly it gives easy to follow tips to help keep your kids safe while on myspace. The best part is, the author shows how you don't have to be a computer geek to keep you kids safe. It walks you through all the safety features step by step. Well done.

I confess that while I am a parent of a teen, I am "MySpace challenged" and have been more than a little wary of it! Connie's book broke it down into easy to understand steps with an incredibly balanced view through it all. This book is a must-have for parents of teens, and it ought to be put in every school and church library as a resource!

It's been a see-saw for me, "Let my 15-year-old have a MySpace/not..." But Mrs. Neal makes some really valid points for letting her have one, with my supervision of course! She spells out for even the most dense among us about how to work around MySpace, as well as making a VERY GOOD point about how it helps with their 5 developmental stages they're working through in their teen years on their way to be independent 'adults'. And how it's the 'mall'/phone calls/etc. of yesteryear.

Having made my daughter delete a MySpace once, I honestly had to apologize to her when Mrs. Neal has us (the parent/reader) answer a lot of questions pertaining to "What's your favorite _______ ?" And then in the next paragraph having us pretend she had authority over us and said "Delete it." It isn't like deleting a list, it's like deleting "us"/our identity amoungst our peers. Does that make sense? She says it so much better on page 99.

Anyway, I was glad I heard her on Jim Burns radio show "Homeward", and I was glad I ordered and read the book. I am ordering another copy for a friend of mine with a teen of her own.

"Every parent should buy this tool. It's a fantastic book to help parents understand their kids and help them through the challenges of social networking. Connie Neal not only helps parents understand MySpace but gives them practical ways to help parents know how to work with their children in this growing area of socialization.
--Dr. Scott Turansky, co-founder, National Center for Biblical Parenting

Wonderfully organized and extremely useful content. I am using it as a class text to instruct parents at my church who want to know how to deal with social networks effectively with their teens. The author even provides a link to a custom MySpace page, where parents can look up the latest tips and additional information to make the most of their learning. As an IT professional with over 20 years of experience and uncle to two teens, I cannot stress enough the importance and value of this book to help parents and teens navigate through some of the perils and reap some of the benefits of cyberculture.