Parents on IM pluses, minuses

After his list of concerns, John - father of an 11-year-old avid IM-er - wrote in an email: "I did think of something I like. When [my daughter] gets on AIM, a pop-up box appears on my computer and I can ask her if she has finished her homework! Also, I am apparently getting another window into their lives that I wouldn't have otherwise. She leaves her computer on a table beside my desk, and I get to watch a bunch of this stuff happening...." In this week's issue of my newsletter, see what else John and five other parents around the country (and in Germany) have been thinking about their children's instant-messaging (including some helpful family rules).