Mods please read!

[meetoo]

I'm not sure this is the right way to post this but I'm very concerned about all the sexual things I've been reading on this forum. It sounds to me like there are some perverted people posting on this site.  I do not read this forum (as in the childhood years) very often anymore because of this. Often times it's a poster with very few posts and the situations are extremely abnormal. Is there any way to ban sex talk in this forum? Maybe post some links about the topic of child sexuality from reputable sources with a recommendation of calling the pediatrician/ therapist if a parent is concerned. It  seems inappropriate for a website so concerned with child welfare to host discussions like the ones I've been reading. Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this, but it has really been concerning me for a while now.    

[doubledutch]

not a mod, and no idea what you're talking about, but if you see a post that you believe violates the user agreement, click the little red flag on the lower left corner to report it.  i've never needed to do that so i don't know exactly how that process works, but that's the official route to follow if you see something inappropriate.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I agree that it is disconcerting to read/see those posts, particularly from new members to the forum.  I'm not sure where you would draw the line though of what is ok and not ok to post about regarding sexuality.  That would be a really hard thing to moderate.  I see it more as up to the members who respond to provide a simple answer of "please consult your pediatrician or a therapist about this" rather than getting into a big debate.discussion about it.  

[~cassie]

I am not quite sure of the posts you speak of as I have only seen a handful of those types of posts. But I will say, as a mother of a 6 yr old, it is a very common issue to come up and I believe an important topic. It is hard to know at that age what is "normal" and what is not. Now I may be off the mark and there are some "troll" type posts that I am missing that people are posting about to get a rise from others, but I haven't seen them.

[meetoo]

Thanks ladies, I hope I didn't offend anyone. I don't post here a ton, but I do read. Lately it seems like there are more and more of these types of posts and they are getting more outrageous. I used to read here and come across a post like that every once in a while. Now there is a post or two on the first page every time I come to this board. I'm not here all the time so it's possible I'm just hitting it at just the right time?? I still think it's something the Mods should be keeping a careful eye on, though.

I have a very hard time believing a parent does not know some of these situations are abnormal.  The fact that a lot of these posts are made by people with very low post counts is also very concerning also. Sometimes when you regularly post on a message board you forget just how public it is.. Some of the things I've read lately (I admit I may be a bit touchy about the subject of child abuse) really seem inappropriate for a public forum. Even if some of them are true, children deserve privacy too. The Internet is not nearly as anonymous  as some people think. Maybe a private sub forum? Maybe a reminder that this board can be viewed by anyone and will come up in a google search? Maybe pulling any post like that made by a member with less then 100 posts? I agree the topic is relevant to parenting, it just that what I've been seeing in this board lately seems wrong some how.......

[swd12422]

Well, it could also be that the low post count is b/c people ARE aware, as you pointed out, that it IS a public forum, and some people here know each other IRL. Those posts could be from longtime members who created a separate user name to ensure their anonymity b/c they don't want people to know what happened (or may have happened) to their child.And I'm sure they know it's not "normal" -- that's why they're posting!

[mkksmom]

If you'd like to tell the mods something, it's probably best to send them a private message or post in the suggestions area of the forum.

[Katielady]

I've noticed the same thing. It warrants a serious look by the mods. The posts usually involve the telling of a tale, followed by a request along the lines of, "anyone have similar experiences?" They're fishing for "sexy" stories about kids. It's disgusting.

This thread should get moved to the feedback forum I suppose. But it's important that this be addressed. Maybe we need new guidelines for posting such stories, such as an identity verification, or a requirement for 50+ posts. It's tricky because you need to allow people with genuine problems to have a place to get help.

[LynnS6]

If you see a post that looks fishy, click the flag and describe the problem for the moderators. They have pretty broad abilities to make things disappear if they think someone is fishing for stories. The only posts I've seen recently have been ones from parents asking "what would you do" and from  users whose names I recognize from other threads.

And FWIW, I think this whole thread might be better off in Questions and Suggestions, as I know those are pretty closely monitored and it's easy to get feedback from moderators.

[ecoteat]

I'll admit I'm relieved to discover here that I'm not the only one noticing what seems to be a lot more threads having to do with children's sexuality. I've been surprised by how many threads have responses along the lines of "that could be a sign of some kind of abuse." I certainly hope sexual abuse isn't that prevalent amongst our members' children and friends. But if people honestly have concerns about their children's development that they'd like to discuss, I think this is an appropriate place for it.