Email Accounts

I had a situation that came up that I believe most people probably have not thought of or possibly even realized.

How many of you have a computer? How many of you have kids that use your computer? How many of you have your own account on your computer? How many of you don't want your kids to have their own account, so they have to access the computer through your account? Well here is the problem with all of this. 

I received a phone call the other day from a very dear friend of mine, we'll call her Staci, and she was in a panic. Staci is a single mom with 3 kids. Staci has a computer and each kid has their own separate account. Staci's oldest daughter, who is 12, has her own computer that her dad bought for her for her birthday. She wanted to buy music through iTunes and so Staci put in her username and password to allow her daughter to purchase some songs. Staci has a MobileMe account and an iPhone. This all sounds harmless, right? Up to this point it is. Now here is the problem. With a MobileMe account and an iPhone, the iPhone will wirelessly backup to the computer where the iTunes login account is active. The account was on the Staci's computer and is NOW on her daughter's computer too. All of a sudden, the 12 year old has access to all of Staci's email and can view all the communication between her mom and her dad. NOT A GOOD SITUATION AT ALL. The law states very clearly that parents are not to discuss anything with the kids and all communication about the kids is to be between the parents. Without even being aware of it, Staci could have been in violation of the law and dad could have filed contempt of court on Staci for allowing the daughter access to private emails, even though it was not intentional. I know that most of you are probably saying, but Staci can simply argue she didn't know. Ignorance is no defense of the law. She'd still risk being in trouble. 

I also know parents that do not allow their kids to have their own computer and do not even allow them to have their own account. If you let your kids have access to your computer and if they get into your mail, and they could, you too could find yourself in a bad situation. 

So what's the solution? Make sure that you have your own account. Make sure that when you are done using your account, you log off. Create a separate account for your kids and visitors. If your kids have their own computer, like Staci, make sure you do not put any of your passwords or account info on their computer allowing them access to your account. Keep the kids out of the adult conversation and allow them to be kids even through the divorce and it's aftermath. 

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In the words of Lawton Chiles, “I didn’t come to stay, I came to make a difference.”