ynotwrite
09-18-2008, 02:26 PM
Hello. I am a man in his early 30s who has recently become aware of his father's on-line activity, and is worried that it could be reaching into areas that might be considered pedophilia.
My father is very new to the internet---just in the last year or so. He got on MySpace, and basically got a bit crazy on it seeking women to be his "MySpace friends." I thought it was mostly harmless, until I noticed he started dialoging with an 18-year old girl in ways that were intimate and romantic.
That was months ago, and he's since moved on to different girls, all of them in their late teens or early 20s. I know that my father doesn't think there's anything wrong with this---he thinks of them as his friends. He's married, and has been for maybe 10 years. He's long been socially awkward, and very rarely has had any friends at all, so his social life is little-to-none. And, from what I can tell, his married life is very quiet.
I recently visited him, and he told me of a couple 14-year old girls he was talking with on MySpace. These girls are musicians, apparently, and my father says that's why he's talking with them. ... During my visit, I noticed my father sneaking out to make phone calls late at night. And I also heard a discussion between him and his wife during which she reminded him that he is married and to stay away from dating websites.
Anyway, I'm basically worried about him---worried that he could get worse, or get himself into trouble, or lose his wife and subsequently become much more socially isolated.
Does anyone know of resources I could use to try to help my dad? I'm thinking of some kind of intervention, but don't know much about how to do that, and how to involve a therapist.
Any help or guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you!
My father is very new to the internet---just in the last year or so. He got on MySpace, and basically got a bit crazy on it seeking women to be his "MySpace friends." I thought it was mostly harmless, until I noticed he started dialoging with an 18-year old girl in ways that were intimate and romantic.
That was months ago, and he's since moved on to different girls, all of them in their late teens or early 20s. I know that my father doesn't think there's anything wrong with this---he thinks of them as his friends. He's married, and has been for maybe 10 years. He's long been socially awkward, and very rarely has had any friends at all, so his social life is little-to-none. And, from what I can tell, his married life is very quiet.
I recently visited him, and he told me of a couple 14-year old girls he was talking with on MySpace. These girls are musicians, apparently, and my father says that's why he's talking with them. ... During my visit, I noticed my father sneaking out to make phone calls late at night. And I also heard a discussion between him and his wife during which she reminded him that he is married and to stay away from dating websites.
Anyway, I'm basically worried about him---worried that he could get worse, or get himself into trouble, or lose his wife and subsequently become much more socially isolated.
Does anyone know of resources I could use to try to help my dad? I'm thinking of some kind of intervention, but don't know much about how to do that, and how to involve a therapist.
Any help or guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you!