Perils of parenting

Ah, parenting — it changes every single day, and in some ways, it doesn’t change at all. At some point, the parenting message changes from “Don’t talk to random strangers” to “Just because your friends are doing it, you don’t have to do it, too” and “If the driver is drinking, don’t get in the car. Call us and we’ll get you home.” Parenting has never been simple, or easy. A 14-year-old boy and his parents found that out last week after the boy was charged with sharing child pornography online — and, no, this is not another one of the seemingly daily cases of teens sharing nude selfies.

The boy allegedly shared an image taken off the Internet with someone on Facebook — Facebook took note of the share, and notified the RCMP.

The 14-year-old was officially charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. It means a day in court, and the shame that comes with it.

It’s good that Facebook is taking an active role in the fight against child pornography — it’s also a good teaching point for parents to explain about the improper sexualization of underage children. At the same time, parents also have the opportunity to point out the oft-ignored fact that any notion of Internet privacy is a pipe dream.

Electronic Big Brother is, almost certainly, able to watch your every move.

One thing is for certain: Raising children, let alone young adults, is never going to be simple. The badlands of the Internet are just another lesson to be explained and lectured about — lectures that are probably as easily ignored by our kids as we ignored them when the same lessons were coming from our own parents.

Amherst (N.S.) Daily News