What do you do when you have two young children but you need to work at home on a computer?

Some people might not allow the little ones to even come close to the equipment, fearing they could damage something. Believe me, there are still people like this in the world today! However, I believe children must have access to computers and get used to dealing with them.

Few will argue that computers are very important for us today; they will without a doubt be more critical than televisions in 20 years! This is why I've decided that my little ones should learn how to deal with and play on the computer. I have two wonderful guys: a four-year-old and one who is a year and a half. The younger one still cannot play too much, of course. For now, he is happy enough to turn off the computer after all the work is done. On the other hand, the older one loved the idea (just like anyone would imagine) and now joins me in some of my trips on the Internet.

First of all, rules! These are needed to prevent your children from becoming computer-addicted. In our home, the computer is only turned on three evenings per week and a few hours on the weekend. The second rule is that children can only play after daddy has finished all his work for the day! Despite their understanding of these rules, I can expect to hear that dear voice asking everyday when I open the door, returning from my daytime job: "Daddy, will we turn it on today?"

I know there are parents worldwide who are worried about the content of web sites their children will visit. For those, there are a few programs (so-called "parent control") to help with this matter. One such site is Tucows, which has various programs available for downloading. They allow you to check which sites your children have been visiting while they were alone on the Internet. In my case, however, my children are still too young, and still unable to surf alone on the web. Therefore, I can personally control which sites they can visit for now, but it's good to know I won't have to worry about the future.

The Internet has many lovely places for children. Any tour of the web starts with a search engine, and Yahoo has developed a specific engine for children. Yahooligans is a good place to find stuff for children on the WorldWide Web. There you can do any search you wish, just like with the parent Yahoo, provided that the subject is somehow related to children. It would be too obvious to suggest that your children visit the Disney or Warner Bros. sites.

Because I wish for my children to develop their thinking ability, to learn how to deal with a mouse and to be educated with a computer, one of the best options is Berit's Best Sites for Children . This is an excellent guide for activity centers and other children's learning and educational resources available on the net. Updated regularly, it gives advice on new and old web sites, with reliable ratings for each one.

Another excellent activity center is undoubtedly Sony's Wonderland . There you will find various puzzles for your children to develop their computer abilities. They can develop their mouse manipulation skills by matching up animals with their proper environment and young (i.e., cubs). They can also build funny faces on people! These activities require Shockwave by Macromedia, which can be downloaded from www.macromedia.com/shockwave and easily installed. If your computer has sound capabilities, your child will also have access to a number of songs to sing along.

Another very interesting and relatively new place for children on the web is Funschool . All the activities on this site use Java, and consist of very interesting games divided into three categories according to the children's ages: kindergarten, preschool and first grade. There you will find jigsaw and sliding puzzles, pattern games, a coloring book, matching and concentration games, and activities with numbers and the alphabet. It is being frequently updated, and has become one of my son's favorites.

Tired of games and puzzles? Take your children to "Just for Kids" , a collection of animals and crafts. This site originates in Alaska, and therefore a collection of Alaskan animals and snow activities is available for visitors. You will also find an interesting collection of links to sites covering sports, comics, crafts, animals, on-line books and many more.

Surfing on the net with children is a wonderful experience not only for them, but for you too. You will see how relaxing it is, after a full day at work, to show your children how vast and magical the new virtual world is. In my case, it also means more time to spend with my older son and enjoy the computer with him. Our relationship has grown since we've started spending this time together. What about the future? Well, we eagerly wait for the time when my older son can write and send messages to e-pals his own age. At that time, we will also be able to enhance his schoolwork visually by visiting sites showing history and geography. And not only that just one or two years from now, my younger son will also be introduced to the Internet! I only hope they can reach an agreement on how to divide the time on-line...