Chatboard for kids

[Charlie Arnold]

Someone on the HFI board put this idea over and I thought I would carry it over to here. Maybe it would be helpful to have a site where kids can chat to other kids with similar fructose problems, about how they feel, what they eat etc etc. I think this would be a great idea, and will maybe look into it. It would have to be carefully moderated to avoid "contamination", maybe it could be more open than just fructose problem as they all struggle the same.

Megs is probably a bit young for it at the moment but have thought several times that it would be great for her to chat with others about it all. We met Bill from the HFI board (who started this idea ) as we are both in england and Meg was really chuffed to share her food properly with him. he's just a bit old for her being nearly 56!!! but I think she really benefitted from it.

Any ideas anyone. I think this proboard setup works very well, is easy to set up and can be easily moderated, but are there other set ups that may work better ?

[FMmom]

I think a chatboard is a great idea. Kaelin is also a little young for it, but I have high hopes that chats will be a great tool for her someday.

Her teacher mentioned that they have a semi-chat board at school where each kid is supposed to respond to the teacher's question and then they each have the option of posting a comment to another child's response. If you ask Kaelin a direct question, she drops her head, turns away slightly, and mumbles a couple of words all the while hoping that she can melt into the floor. However, on the computer she chats away and loves to make comments on other kids responses. It's not a back-and-forth type of thing -- it's one comment and they are done.

I think Kaelin would express herself so much more online than she ever tells me. Someday. Right now, her emails to my mom are just one comment about some event that transpired and she rarely, if ever, responds to any questions my mom asks -- and never anything on an emotional level.

But, yeah, when her teacher mentioned how much she loves the on-line "chat", I immediately thought that it would be nice for her to have a place to talk about some of these foods issues or going to the doctor. Even if it's nothing more than "I can't eat tomatoes. Can you?" or "yay, I don't have to see the mean lung doctor anymore. I am getting a different doctor now." (Both of those were emails she sent to my mom -- and I learned something new...)