To "GUEST,I'm a member, but a guest today": I'm curious; at what age would you deem it to be appropriate to expose children to a forum such as this?

How would you determine, in your children, the level of maturity necessary to deal with flaming, trolling, adult subject matter and colorful language in a responsible manner?

How would you raise your kids in the meantime to handle the situation when you finally allow them to encounter it?

Several other parents here have described their methods of child-rearing; I'd like to see where you're "coming from." I have no kids. But I can tell you from having been raised in a very strict environment, where many things were not-allowed-and-not-allowed-to-be-discussed, that the child's inevitable backlash of trying to deal with adult issues without the proper tools to do so is painful for parent and offspring alike.

SharonA