[lucyjoy]

I have two teens that I'm willing to loan out for long term work!!!

Yesterday, I had to go to a DFS meeting for my son in the RTC. When I returned, my neighbor informed me that my 14 year old had been out driving our 15 passenger van-mostly in and out of the drive(which would be around a bunch of other cars).
Could use some good consequences for that.

Then, while searching my desk for the papers I needed(I'm a little less then organized), I found some lovely computer printouts of naked girls. Since I'm absolutely sure dh and I did not own these pictures, I checked the history on my computer. Figured out which kid pretty quick. You think if their going to print pictures, they'd at least take them off my desk. I'm not real good with computers and my kiddos hacked around my passwords several times. Locking my room doesn't work either as they can open most door locks with their library cards(Warms a mothers heart to see such "skills" in her children)
Open to ideas. Unhooking the interenet isn't an option as I have kids in online schools and what I do is online as well.

[DianeScraps]

oh my

take the power cable to the computer with you when you leave?

Diane

[surfmama]

Oh Diane, that is too funny. You know, my kids are going to start homeschooling next year online. I thought what I would do is put a regular lock that has to be opened with a key on the "school room". Not a regular bedroom lockset.

Do you think they could get that opened?

[Original Mike]

I am having the same problem here with my computer. J has frequently used it to access porn (nothing twisted, just the usual stuff). Whenever I try to up the secuirty, he finds a way around it.

First, I tried the password stuff. Took him no time to find a backdoor into the system. Considering the password oprotection was created by a friend in the IT security field, this is somewhat remarkable, though I am NOT condoning it.

Then, I tried putting a lock on the computer room door. This was a key lock, not the usual bedroom door lock. Well, he and C found a way to pick the lock with a schoo ID card. Lovely!!

Now, I'm to the point where I take the power cord with me whenever I leave.

Mike

[JewelMarie]

Perhaps J has a future in computer security. I am sure there is an answer; I just don't know what it is as yet.

What about a dead bolt lock?

Jewel

[crick]

I don't have any security options available, sorry!
Resourceful kids though, wow!

I do however, have tons of work needed on my home. Drywall, tiling and painting.

There's also the option of volunteering them for Habitat for Humanity or perhaps a visit to the local FBI chapter of what they do to computer hackers caught? Or viewing and printing pictures of underage girls? A lot of those sites are indeed tracked so you never know...

And since your other son likes cars so much, perhaps all the neighbors could use a really good old fashioned car wash? The hose & bucket kind?

I agree though, it's obvious they have lots of time to spare and could use some hard work!

[lucyjoy]

Crick-I'll send them right over. They are drywall experts.
And the porn kid use to paint house with DH so you're all set. Where do I ship them?

My room has the key locks on it as well. They use the cards to go in the outside house doors at night as well.(I have one kid that can open interior locks with his thumb and another that's a fantastic pic pocket)
I've considered putting a deadbolt on but thinking they'd just use the windows or disassemble the door if they really wanted in.

If I sent my son to wash the neighbors cars, he'd steal everything they own. He's a major thief and simply told the therapist he has no intention of stopping and jail is fine with him(better then the streets of Romania for his race, he says). Told him I was glad he had a plan since he wasn't all that far from 18. I reassured him I could love him in jail, on the streets, or where ever his choices led him to be. This is the first kid I've ever had that is truely not motivated or moved by anything at all. Nothing external effects his choices and his internally wiring is really off.

[qs mom]

I have no answers for you. But whatever you do find that works, let us know. I'll probably need it in a couple years.

My 5 year old is quite good at moving around undetected and can really get around a computer! He got in trouble at school yesterday for kissing a girl in the lunchroom.

[Barksum]

I (naively) thought that my boys would get BETTER as they got older. I have a couple of houdinis, one of whom has been able to plan and execute plans to get to what he wants since BEFORE HE COULD WALK. I'm not going to even contemplate the teen years. (Fingers in ears, humming Nahnah-nah-nah-nah-nahnah)

I have a barn that hasn't been mucked in the last 18 months, so the manure is nice and ripe now. This is nice, mindless physical labor. Great compost, too.

The doozey job that I'd suggest, though, is our chicken coop. It had a ventilation problem that we've been working on and the amonia fumes alone could choke a horse. The venting thing is being addressed, but now we have to treat each chicken for mites, muck out the coop and clean all the nesting boxes. (again! twice in one 6 month period is waaaaay out of my comfort zone) So a couple of teens would be great.

If you take your power cable, just be sure they don't buy a duplicate. Can you pull the mother board or a something like that, just as a back up? You know, like putting a leaf in the distributor cap thingie so that it interrupts the electrical circuit but looks like the distributor is fine. Or was it pulling a sparkplug wire only half way off? Flip the electrical circuit off that serves your room. Something like that. There should be a mechanical way to put The Club or something on your computer. Hmmm...a lock that uses retinal scans! LOL

Also there is a program that records every keystroke so you can monitor what your computer users access, as well as any emails or IMing they are doing. PM me if you want the exact name, I'm not real up on techno stuff but I know someone who is more than I.

Just think how sedentary you'd be and how slow your brain would be if you didn't have your sons!

Ok, quit thinking about it. Fantasy time over. LOL

[lucyjoy]

Barksum-you could make a fortune doing respite for RAD teens. I'll be right up with mine and I'll even send people to train you!!! My car thief actually has some manure shoveling experience but the chicken work would be great.

I can unhook my modem and take it with me. I hadn't thought of that but it's easy to move.

[Indy]

...if you have cable or DSL. Most kids are skilled at playing with passwords on computers because their friends teach them how to "outsmart" us. Not to many know anything about routers. I would use some "funky code" that includes their birthdate in numbers, the number if kids you have, the house number you live at, your birthdate...mine would be like this: 03169050500229936855041584.... The longer the series of numbers...the less likely the code break. Don't use things that are common like your social security number, or one birthday, or your dog's name!

As far as taking the power cable, great idea until you forget where you put it. I've done that before!

[kburch]

Maybe trade in the desktop for a laptop? At least then you don't have to disassemble it to take it with you... Just a thought.

[aspenhall]

I haven't seen them since I was in HS, but, my mom had a comp that had an ACTUAL lock on it, similar to what is on a deep freezer. If locked, it couldn't turn on. I second the laptop idea!! Ours is way faster with way more memory than my home comp.