Dilemma. What would you do?

[daydream**believer]

Ok, this is quite a long story. I hope it makes sense. **Real names have not been used**

On the weekend, my daughter came to me  and said "Mum, theres something odd going on with some of my friends that i want to talk to you about cause im a bit worried"

She tells me that 3 of her friends (lets call them Tom, Jim and Sue) have made friends on facebook with a boy (lets call him John) they dont know who lives in Newcastle. Tom, Jim and Sue live in Adelaide.

Tom became friends with John first by receiving an out of the blue friend request from him.

John claims to be a 16 year old boy. His facebook page has lots of photos of him with heaps of friends. He's quite a good looking kid.

Tom think John is so cool and, via facebook, introduces him to Jim and Sue.

John strikes up quite a friendship with Sue and last week asked her to be his girlfriend. Sue is completely infatuated with John.

John has now said that his dad is going to bring him to Adelaide in a couple of weeks to meet Tom, Jim and Sue.

He has even said that a great place for them to all meet up would be the local swimming pool.

None of this sits right with me. Why a kid in Newcastle (a popular, good looking one according to his facebook page) would need to make friends with strangers in Adelaide. Would want one of them to be his girlfriend and then get his dad to bring him all the way over here to meet them.

Im not sure if you are all aware of the of the Carly Ryan story, but it is making me quite nervous about whats going on.

Carly Ryan- http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/lifestyle/article/-/7013312/internet-predators/

I know Jim's mother quite well and am going to talk to her about it all tomorrow. I know she has no idea who Jim talks to on facebook.

Im wondering, should i go to the police? They could at least investigate if John is real. I thought about going to the school, but all they would do is give a talk about internet predators and the kids would ignore it.

Over the weekend, my daughter tried to talk to Tom and Jim about the risks but they just didnt get it. They think John is so cool.

The whole "better to be safe than sorry" phrase keeps popping in my head.

Oh, and by the way, John's last name on facebook in Smith

[daydream**believer]

only on CS can a thread about internet predators get turned into a thread about welsh corgi's

😐

[crystal**flake]

my MIL had one and used to bite my kid on the ankles...wasn't very keen on it!!!

Thats because they are herders.

My grandma had them too, loved them to bits.

[cherry*135]

Yes, Katy, I know Taffy is a nickname (my friend's father was called that, I didn't know what his real name was, everyone called him Taffy).

[kengillard]

understand Amy............sorry

[crystal**flake]

Is that how you spell hearders, it doesn't look right.

[azureline**]

Herders.......

[crystal**flake]

Thanks Az, I wrote it that way before but it just looked wrong.

[azureline**]

Thanks Az, I wrote it that way before but it just looked wrong.

yes, some words never look right do they?

[the_great_she_elephant]

I had a Corgi called Taffy when I was a kid...a real sweetie and not a mean bone in his body.

Do you know the rest of the rhyme Katy?

It is "I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was in bed, I up with the marrowbone and hit him on the head."  The version I know had Taffy breaking into my house rather than the butcher's shop, which explains why "I" would go to his house.

And no, I am not Welsh....my great grandparents came from Scotland.:^O

this is the version I learnt as a child.

Taffy was a Welshman.

Taffy was a thief,

Taffy came to my house

And stole a leg of beef,

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy wasn't home,

Taffy came to my house

And stole a marrowbone,

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was in bed,

So I picked up the poker

And hit him on the head.

I think that - like many nursery rhymes - it started life as a piece of political satyre.

[cherry*135]

Good old nursery rhymes with a bit of violence in them. My niece's kids favourite nursery rhymes are Grandfather Clock (which is rather sombre and Grandfather dies) and The Old Lady who swallowed a fly (which is more fun, but she dies too).