I had a whole conversation with my niece, although I didn’t know it until she called me, at my request, to discuss something I had emailed (her mother).

She’s nine.

Her mom told her to go find something to do, as she (the mom) submitted to the joys of laying on the couch with a huge sinus headache.

She kept busy, all right.

I never knew it was my niece. I like to think I wasn’t born yesterday, but it turns out I’m as gullible as the next guy when it comes to figuring out just who I’m talking to.

I’m glad, on the one hand, that it was ME she was chatting with. She wasn’t trying to trick me; she thought I knew it was her – it was all innocence on her end. And I’m glad I didn’t ask her opinion about Christmas gifts…or bring up an inappropriate topic…or somehow ruin her young mind.

It got me thinking.

Who’s out there?

I have been blessed to find an online Catholic community of bloggers that’s helping me in my faith journey. But there are others out there who aren’t so nice, and though I don’t think the solution to the internet is to ban it from children (there’s good stuff out there too!), I can definitely see, with a whole new fear in my heart, the need for caution and supervision.

Oh, and prayer. Lots of prayer!