Pen Pals

I wouldn't trust that at ALL, not the way things are now in this world. If you want your child to have a pen pal, how about an out of state relative? I bet grandma and grandpa would LOOOOOVE that!! :)

You can set up your own precaution by getting a PO Box and send all letters to and from that. That way even if it is something shady, they do not have your home address, and you can always cancel the PO Box or let it run out (you can pay by six month or one year increments).

I would contact some local schools or churches that have adopted a missionary or organization that they use and it is safe.

Contact your child's school- they should be able to point you in the right direction for a pen pal. We had pen pals through our school when I was little- I didn't keep in contact with mine after the assignment was over, but I wish I had. Writing to out of state relatives is also a good idea- as the other mom suggested. Or if they have a neighbor with kids that would be interested. I would like my kids to do the pen pal thing too but I think I will start with their cousins who are out of state.
~C.

We found a penpal through http://amazing-kids.org/get-involved/amazing-kids-penpals.... I didn't want an email penpal but rather a actual letter penpal. There is something about sending and receiving mail that creates excitement. Plus, my daughter has exchanged small gift with her penpal (homemade bookmarks, sticks of gum, photos, penpal patches).

As far as safety goes, each child's parent must consent to the pen pal exchange. Before address info is exchanged, you must make contact with the other parent. The idea is to get to know the parent better and in essense, screen them before the physical address is shared. I like this feature. Of course, caution is still required.

Below is a link to a post I responded to about this very topic. There are many others posts on this subject. Just plug in "pen pals" on the search function on Mamapedia. Good luck!

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/13476009384836399105