Katie, aka Katherine Tarbox, became known for bestselling book & memoire about her experience with an internet predator: A Girl’s Life Online. Available in more than 50 countries and in more than 35 languages, her book has brought her major media attention. She’s appeared on The Today Show, The New Yorker, Oprah and in /time Magazine just to name a few.
Here’s a glimpse into the life of Katie before all of this evolved…
Katie & the American Family
Katie is like many people in America I believe… she grew up with her own thoughts about what the true American family should look like, what they should do, how they act and what beliefs they should have. You know, the 7th Heaven Family or at least something close to it. She imagined a close family that lived a clean, structured lifestyle. They would go to church every week and have a strong belief in God. They would be involved with the community and commonly have family BBQ’s and sit-down Sunday dinners. They work hard, from the parents to the youngest child and are often athletes on school teams and community teams. They’re far from rich, but they have decent jobs and always find a way to make ends meet.
While she never had that typical American family life, she never wanted it. Like most of us, the relationships were complicated. The mom worked hard to support the kids since dad was never a part of her life (having left when she was merely a baby). Instead of mom being around the home to cook & clean for them, play with them and talk to them, there was a constant stream of nannies and housekeepers who were there while mom was off at work trying to financially stay afloat. She longed for her mother to be there, but she would have been happy to at least have a nanny who cared about and took the time to listen to her.
Katie & Sisters
She grew up with two other sisters: Abby and Carrie. Abby was four years older than her and Carrie was younger. Her and Abby had the same father (the one who took off when she was a baby), but Carrie’s father was different.
When Katie was eleven, Abby moved out of the house to go to a private boarding school. Abby was fifteen at the time. After she left, Katie missed her dearly even though it meant there was less competition and fighting in the house. She loved her dearly and cherished the special adventures that they had shared. Now that competition lied between her and her younger sister Carrie, who was a fish and clearly the winner when it came to swimming. Naturally, she had been on the swimming team for years. But Katie had her beat in academics.
That wasn’t too terribly bad, though. The worst part was that Carrie’s dad, now Katie’s stepdad, seemed to obviously favor Carrie since she was his biological father. It wasn’t that Katie was terribly jealous of the attention itself, deep down Katie just wished she could share that bond with her own father. Then to make it even worse it seemed as though Carrie didn’t understand and couldn’t begin to appreciate what she had.
Katie and Mom
Katie admires her mom to this day, as she was probably the biggest influence on her growing up. Tall and in-charge, you were able to tell almost immediately upon seeing or meeting her that she was a very proper person even if she was demanding. She used to talk to Katie about being a ‘pioneer’ in the work force since at that time it was mostly dominated by men. Katie has always admired her mom’s ambition and determination to succeed no matter what challenges were laid in front of her.
Katie and Dad
Katie’s dad was pretty much out of the picture by the time she was even born. Her mom admits that this was in a sense done on purpose. She told her that she knew she wanted another child besides Abby, her older sister, and the she never planned on getting married again. While Katie always longed to have her father around and have him be a part of her life, she has also always wished that she had been planned in a better light – when her parents were in love.
There’s only one time that Katie remembers her father being around. This was around when she was five-years-old. He had met a woman at the office that he claimed was a great find because she had already had her tubes tied. He took Katie and Abby to an amusement on an afternoon not too long after that and for reasons she doesn’t really know he started to call her ‘Kitty’. When the day was done, he bought them each a teddy bear and Katie has it to this day although she felt like that afternoon was spent with a stranger.
Katie and Step Dad
Katie’s mom married David, Carrie’s dad, when she was just four-years-old. She remembers telling his parents that she didn’t need any more grandparents when they met and they declared that she was one of their new grandchildren.
Growing up, she always thought that a dad should do certain like things like taking you to baseball games and giving you sugar for breakfast. However, David didn’t fit the mold in any way shape or form. Every time she would ask him about something he’d just tell her to go ask her mom. She never really thought of David as her dad at all.
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When Google launched Google+ in June, 2010, it was for adults only. Now it’s open to anyone 13 or older. The reason Google kept teens off the service at first is not because the social network was ever about what we euphemistically call “adult content,” but because Google wanted to take extra time to get it right before opening [...] Continue reading → […]
When Google launched Google+ in June, 2010 it was for adults only. Now it’s open to anyone 13 or older. The reason Google kept teens off the service at first is not because the social network was ever about what we euphemistically call “adult content,” but because Google wanted to take extra time to get it right [...] Continue reading → […]
As you may have heard, Zappos announced that it experienced a data breach on Sunday. In an email to customers, the online shoe and clothing retailer that’s owned by Amazon said “there may have been illegal and unauthorized access to some of your customer account information on Zappos.com.” Comprised data includes: your name e-mail address billing and shippin […]
by Larry Magid Let’s be honest. Many children — especially post-pubescent boys — are interested in what we commonly call “porn.” You might not like the idea that some kids are looking at these images, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a pretty common occurrence. This column isn’t about young children or children who [...] Continue reading → […]
Here’s a shocker for some. By two important measures, teens are safer online now than they were before the advent of social media. A new report, “Trends in Youth Internet Victimization: Findings From Three Youth Internet Safety Surveys 2000 –2010,” (PDF) from the Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) found a decline in 2010 of both unwanted sexual [ […]
Excuse me for posting about a post. I know it seems strange but I added this FAQ over the weekend and it’s just now getting featured. Because of the way WordPress works it’s down in the stack so a bit harder to find. So, if you haven’t aready done so, please check out our new: [...] Continue reading → […]
by Larry Magid When Anne Collier and I wrote our long out-of-print book, MySpace Unraveled, we pointed out that MySpace was the largest referrer to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. We noted that kids were alive because of the way friends had reached out to save their friends. Facebook, of course, took MySpace’s place in that [...] Continue reading […]
This post appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on December 12, 2011 by Larry Magid Google has launched a YouTube for Schools service to make educationally relevant videos available for use in school. It’s a great idea, but for it to actually be used in schools, many districts around the country will have to [...] Continue reading → […]
by Larry Magid Here are some common concerns that parents have about their kids’ use of technology. Is my child at risk from online predators? Although it can happen, the risk of a child or teen being harmed by someone they met on the Internet is very low. There has been widespread misunderstanding of a 2005 [...] Continue reading → […]
In an audio podcast interview for CBS News and CNET, ICM Registry CEO Stuart Lawley, the main behind the XXX domains, acknowledged that XXX domains, along with creative searching, will help seekers of adult content find what they’re looking for. And to his company’s credit, he said that “for people wanting to look for adult content, they can go to XXX sites […]
When it comes to technology and social media, many parents feel like they are constantly playing catch up in an attempt to stay on top of what their kids are up to online. So in an effort to keep up as we enter 2012, we wanted to share some interesting information from a recent blog […]
All parents know there are hidden dangers lurking out there that could harm children. It’s a fact of life. Over the last decade or so, parents have watched as cyberbullying has become one of the largest online issues facing our children. Unfortunately, just as the internet isn’t going anywhere, neither are cyberbullies. According to the […]
Keeping up with what our children are doing online and with their cell phone activity is vital these days. Parents must always be looking for warning signs and red flags in protecting kids and keeping them safe in cyberspace. Safety experts say parents need to watch for issues like cyber bullying and harassment such as social […]
Like so many things in life, getting into college has become a lot more complicated in recent years. Today it’s about more than just grades and school activities. Now you have to take your child’s online reputation into consideration. With kids spending more and more time on the internet, what they say and show on […]
With just over two months left until Christmas, many people are already thinking about holiday shopping. In 2010, more than $36 billion dollars was spent in online shopping over the holiday season and this year, it’s expected billions will be spent again in online shopping. However, before parents log online and start spreading the holiday […]
Each year, more than 4 million babies are born in the United States. That means millions of new Social Security numbers each year as well. Parents worry about so much when it comes to their babies and children, but one thing they may not think about is how their children could be prime targets for […]
It’s important to be aware that your children’s online identity and privacy can be compromised not only from their home computer but also inadvertently by educational institutions. The last few months have resulted in online security breaches from universities such as Yale, Purdue and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In August, Yale announced the names […]
Can you hear me now? According to research, 22 percent of young children own a cell phone (ages 6-9), 60 percent of tweens (ages 10-14), and 84 percent of teens. Now that it's back-to-school time, many parents make the decision to arm their kids with cell phones. Parents generally say they do so for safety […]
It looks like online privacy has received a shot in the arm from the top dog of social media. Earlier this week, Facebook announced they are making several changes that will make it clearer with whom you are sharing photos, status updates, locations and tags. In fact, it’s one of the biggest privacy overhauls in […]
It’s not just parents who are taking a role in protecting kids’ privacy online, the government has its hands in it as well. Back in 2000, the Federal Trade Commission put into effect the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The COPPA rule aims to protect the privacy of children by making sure websites (and […]
She grew up with two other sisters: Abby and Carrie. Abby was four years older than her and Carrie was younger. Her and Abby had the same father (the one who took off when she was a baby), but Carrie’s father was different.