Continue from Part One
I got into the car with the kids and started my preaching.
“Do you know what will happen if every one of our Malaysian household has broadband? Do you think the majority of the parents are even aware of the dangers of internet? Have you seen any public announcement or advertisements on how to use the internet in a safe and useful way? Does your school teach you anything about the evils of internet? NO!!!!! All we heard are the stupid advertisements to subscribe to broadband because broadband is supposed to make kids learn, get smarter, stay ahead. My foot!”
I thought of not blogging this matter because I don’t want to appear mean to poor salespersons trying to make ends meet. But then, a conversation I had today with a mother who has a son below 12 years really makes me ponder hard.
She is getting broadband because none of her son’s school friends want to come to her house because their house do not have broadband or PC. She doesn’t know what exactly is internet, broadband, computer, virus, spams…. I mentioned p0rn, gay, drug and got a blank look. I don’t even need to mention paed0phile for sure. And this woman is already literate and can read both Mandarin and English papers! What about the millions of mothers who are less literate?
In a way, I am glad that I have an edge over most parents where being ‘net smart’ is concerned. I know that my involvement in the cyberworld, through my forums, support group, parenting site, group emails and the blogs will be the tiny steps towards educating our Malaysian parents to be more IT savvy and be on guard to keep their children safe.
Where is our Gomen’s effort? Are they only interested to sell more and more broadband packages for the sake of earning money? The Gomen should educate the rakyat to ‘kenal IT’ and at the same time, ‘berjaga-jaga against laman web maksiat’. (heh, right choice of word?) But would anyone bother, that is the question…..
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The day after I wrote the above, I read something in The Star Intech about parents demanding the closure of internet cafes. Oh no, not this stupid proposal again….. What do you want your kids to do? Go back to the caves? Progress is inevitable. We have to keep up. Kids have to immerse themselve into the cyberworld. Which means parents have more challenges to guide them from falling into the dark side.
In fact, I suggested to my sister to send her son to the internet cafe. Horrors, am I out of my mind? Nope. You see, these little kids are very eager to keep up with times and play online games. I asked my sister to drop these bunch of boys there for a few hours and pick them up at specific time. This way, their time is limited. Moreover, the online games they get from internet cafes are those they can’t play at home (right?).
Both my older sons had gone to internet cafes previously and after a while, they are no longer crazy to continue playing there. Once in a while, they will join their friends for a few games and that’s about it.
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Whenever I start grumbling about issues like these, my son will definitely sighed. “Why don’t you go and lecture every parents you meet?”
Hehehe!! your son too cute lah.. lilian..!!
My say in this matter is actually pretty simple.. 🙂 no matter what we say to other parents or other ppl’s kids… they would still wanna try it.. and do it their way. Sure they can be educated and all.. but do we really see them following what they are being told religiously ..?? doubt so.. ! moderation is the key to everything i would think. So.. i try not to “act smart” and teach other ppl or their children. That way donch kena “han tum” left, right and center. hhahaha!!!
Internet cafe’s are cool, you better don send them to those ‘heavenly’ ones. You know cloud 9? full of smoke wan I tell you.
Hey, and also, every salesman got tell us that broadband is 100 times faster than the ordinary Internet connection lah, and that’s all, end of story. But wtf? Most of the parents didn’t even what’s Internet and nevermind how fast it goes, 100 times faster generally means nothing to them but a figure.
Must suggest the cabinet-cabinet ahli-ahli kementrian-kementrian to promote IT knowledge!
Hello Leng Lui Lilian, I’m here again, to chit chat with U.
Leng Lui Lilian said:
“All we heard are the stupid advertisements to subscribe to broadband because broadband is supposed to make kids learn, get smarter, stay ahead. My foot!”
Tongkat Ah Lian said:
RM 88 per month, unlimited usage, it’s VERY CHEAP! Where on earth U get this LOW price. Those who do not subscribe broadband are STUPID!
It’s NOT wrong that Broadband makes kids learn, get smarter, stay ahead!
Bye! Hope to chat with U next time. 😀
Tongkat AL – Oh dear, I am confused with what you are trying to say. I am saying that we should progress but there has to be more awareness campaigns to us Malaysians in general to educate us on the good and bad side of the internet. There are many such authorities in the US make up of parents group who champion this cause. But here, unless some kid screwed up, bring it to the politicians, blasted by the media etc, nothing happens. We wait things for happen before we take action.
Alexallied – Ya, I read in the paper that many of them don’t even have emails (or know how to use one!).
MamaBok – Gosh, you got my meaning all twisted. My kid was mocking me, dear. You think I am out of my mind? Oh dear…MamaBok thinks I have gone nuts!
Hey.. Lilian,
They not mocking you lah..!! i think they are just being smart in their own ways.. if you know what i mean.. 🙂 i prefer my daughter to be smart this way like your sons.. instead of being rude.. and no manners type .. like that mocking ok.. lah.. 🙂
Plus hor.. i think like that kinda relationship with my brat .. that would only mean.. that we have a great understanding..and not that i’m going nuts lah.. 🙂
Roger! *Agree agree*
No problem la. You think Lin Peh become like this because of internet ? Come to think about it, if your son next time grow up and start to blog like Lin Peh style you think you faint or not leh ? LOL !
By the way, 5xmom has been selected and invited to participate in the Christmas Sing Song Poject. We need your voice because 5xmom suppose to be the one in charge of the Yeh Soh choir during the Great Blogger’s Meet so how can 5xmom be missing when all blogger’s sing song ? Right ? Lin Peh waiting. No play play wan 😉
Go public announcement by TmNet ba. The one say say press Alt+F4 one. But dunno where they hide all the poster. Maybe TmNet inside also got paedophile, go hide all the poster dowan people know so much.
One of my close relative in KT open a cyber cafe near his house. I found it out when I visited them during the recent Eidul Fitri. So the kids (9,7,5&3) were happily playing (Raya no need to pay) and we chit chat for half a day. Then when my kids back to Shah Alam they ask if they can go to cybercafe. So I said OK but only if Ayah or me who send you there. You are not to go on yr own or with yr friends without informing us FIRST.
My take in this is, external influence is inevitable, the more you stop them the more they will resist. As much as possible expose them to “what is out there” but with chaperoning.
Dunno lah -I pun “mak budak sedang belajar”.
After reading it, I think that the education ministry should change their system. Why put Moral as a compulsory subject? What is the use of having such subject whereas most teenagers’ and youngsters’ attitude are getting worse day by day?
The education ministry should replace Moral with IT as a compulsory subject and teach kids about the benefits, bad-side, and how to use internet and computers in a correct way instead of teachers bragging about “kita mesti mengamalkan nilai ‘mematuhi peraturan dan undang-undang’ blablablablablaâ€. Who wanna listen? IT has a great influence to people. The Ministry, if they are smart enough, should arrange IT as compulsory subject rather than the useless Moral.
Hey Lilian. You are so right. When kids have access to cyber cafes easily, the hunger for it will fizzle off for good one day. I guess this applies to all aspect of growing up. It’s just like letting kids play with fire and get hurt, so they won’t dare to play with it again. Permit me to use my dog as example (cuz I have no kids). We take Snoopy out of the house so often that she doesn’t even bother looking at the gate when it’s wide open! Get what I mean?