When You Are Oppressed, Or Ten Weighty Reasons for Teenagers and Their Parents

[HerenIstarion]

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[Brinniel]

I have to say that my experience on the BD as a teenager has been overall an excellent one. I know there are many parents out there who are afraid of letting their children get involved with online forums, but when it's something like the BD, being involved online can be good for the child.

After reading RPGs that I have taken part in, I've noticed how tremendously I've improved in my creative writing skills over a year's time. I spent hours on those RPGs, using a thesaurus to perfect my writing, and refusing to stop perfecting it until I reached my high standards of what I hoped would be a professional quality of writing. And it paid off. Not only have I noticed improvements in writing stories, but I can now write poetry real well (something I used to hate).

Not only has the BD improved my creative writing, but also the quality of my essay writing, particularly persuasive. Anytime I wanted to argue an issue, I wrote carefully, supporting each of my opinions with facts, something that is essential to essay writing.

Obviously, the BD improved my overall knowledge of Tolkien's works. Reading different topics in the forum have helped me understand many details of his books better than before and I've learned to appreciate all Tolkien's hard work and effort he put into these books.

And lastly, BD has improved my self-esteem. Being active in something online that's actually eduactional, has made me feel quite good about myself. I'm able to converse with people I normally would never meet about something I love.

My parents have never been bothered by the fact that I enjoy taking part in online forums, though my mom has threatened to ban me several times simply because my constant visits to the BD (visits that were hours at a time) began to affect my schoolwork, especially during those months when my teachers gave ridiculous amounts of homework along with my dance team competitions (which is why, unfortunately, I was forced to give up RPGing completely).

So, in summary, the BD is a healthy experience for anyone of any age, as long as you don't become so involved, it affects your real life.

[Saraphim]

My mother holds fully to the "For all you know you could be talking to some 40-year-old pervert petifile!" thing. I did tell her that this is a very family-friendly site, and that any problems of the creepy-git variety are quickly dealt with, but she gave me a patented maternal look and just said "You just be careful" in this tone she's got.

Oh, how familiar that sounds . My mother is convinced that anyone who speaks to me over the internet is a criminal. Mostly I just growl and point out how strict the BW is.

Honestly, this site has improved me exponentially, and not just in with my vocabulary and writing skills. It's actually gotten me to be more social in real-world situations, something I don't take to easily.

[Lhunardawen]

I have forgotten to include development of social skills in my hurry at my last post in his thread. I have never really used the Internet much before the Downs, but now I am glad to be able to communicate with people from all over the world with whom I share the same passion for Tolkien's works. I have also been able to discuss non-Tolkien things with a Downer. It is really interesting for me to discover others' opinions on things, and that has led me to learn to respect the views of others, especially if they are different from my own.

But alas, it does seem in my case that the reason behind disagreements between me and my mother is her lack of knowledge on LotR. She hasn't really watched the movies nor read the books, but watching the movie trailers she automatically deduced that the story involves a lot of violence. She fails to see what interests us so much, so she thinks that LotR is rather not worth the time and energy and whatever we "waste" on it. My brother and I try to convince her to see LotR for what it really is, and I do hope she will find time to.

[Mithalwen]

Have you ever tried explaining the internet to vintage parents? It was bad enough expalining the video recorder.... I really tried with my mamma but I don't think she ever really grasped it and in the end I rationed her to one technological question a day ...."How does an internet work? " "Don't know - but don't really know how the telephone works either "... .... she was possibly the only person in the world who dictated their email... but my pa did go on a course of Computing for geriatrics last year ..... didn't do a lot of good really...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

she was possibly the only person in the world who dictated their email...

No, Mith, my mamma does the same. She's learning though (sort of). I love it when she's online (not often) and a popup ad shows up. She tends to freak out and yell for help, thinking she accidentally broke the computer.

And one of the two times I've been grounded over the past 2 years involved the internet. I guess my parents don't like my 'addiction' because they don't really understand the internet, or the LotR. Mixing the two? That must terrify them.

Fea

[Morsul the Dark]

My mom doesnt care...as long as Im not doing drugs or being a bad kid(which is virtually impossible my conscience is too overpowering) Anyway, she likes it when i tell her about discussions on the downs (or at least pretends to) and then sometimes she tells me what she thinks if it is a good point i post it... I might go search and see what ideas are hers theres only one or two but I know theyre there somewhere....