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

[lis351]

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).

Ive always loved both songs. Also, being eaten by a boa constrictor, you die at the end of that one too ]:)

[the_great_she_elephant]

I haven't Googled it, but I suspect 'Taffy' is a corruption of the Welsh name Dafydd (David).

[katydidthat]

This one? 

My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf

So it stood ninety years on the floor

It was taller by half than the old man himself

Though it weighed not a pennyweight more
It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born

And was always his treasure and pride

But it stopped, short never to go again

When the old man died
Ninety years without slumbering

His life seconds numbering

It stopped, short never to go again

When the old man died
My grandfather said that of those he could hire

Not a servant so faithful he found

For it wasted no time and had but one desire

At the close of each week to be wound
And it kept in its place, not a frown upon its face

And its hands never hung by its side

But it stopped short, never to go again

When the old man died
It rang and alarmed in the dead of the night

An alarm that for years had been dumb

And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight

That his hour for departure had come
Still the clock kept the time with a soft and muffled chime

As we silently stood by his side

But it stopped short, never to go again

When the old man died
Ninety years without slumbering

His life seconds numberingIt stopped short, never to go again

When the old man died

Read more: JOHNNY CASH - MY GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK LYRICS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50aZvm7yT44

[katydidthat]

Lynda ... is it Lynda or Lyndal?  

There are a few varieties of the song.  

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It's usually made into herd ... shepherd, goatherd, etc.  

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TGSE ... that's what Wikipedia says, but Dafydd is pronounced Dayfiith (hard th like the).  

[toon_town_nutter]

Wow

Just flicked over to the end of Dr Phil and i dont know what the whole show was about but this is what his last words were:

"I would rather investigate a thousand situations where nothing is wrong, then fail to investigate a situation where something is wrong"

So true. It has to be looked at if your mummy alarm bells are ringing. 

The coppers will probably friend him and start talking to him.

[the_great_she_elephant]

TGSE ... that's what Wikipedia says, but Dafydd is pronounced Dayfiith (hard th like the).

The English can mangle almost any word they are not familiar with, ]:)

Shakespeare had a Welsh character in Henry V called Fluellen.:^O

[cherry*135]

Yes, Katy that was the one, played over and over in the car.... just the first verse though... the 3 yo's favourite.

My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf

So it stood ninety years on the floor

It was taller by half than the old man himself

Though it weighed not a pennyweight more
It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born

And was always his treasure and pride

But it stopped, short never to go again

When the old man died.

[katydidthat]

Llewellyn is a name close to my heart 🙂

I like the river Taff explanation better.  

What else have we got?  Bombay, Peking ... even Manuka.  

[katydidthat]

AM*3 ... my Dad used to sing it to us when we were kids.  

The lyrics and the youtube vid don't have it, but did you sing "tick a tick tock, tick a tick tock"?

[izabsmiling]

Amy, I hope everything is OK with your daughter and her friends