A combination of naivete, injury, and 'adult interest' pictures
Imagine it. It's 1998 You're 17, at college, your parent's have just set up an internet account. What's the first thing you're going to do at 3am on a evening when no-ones looking?

As the only one who actually knew how to properly use the first PC we owned in our house, I thought I could get away with this by hiding my 'collection' deep inside the system folder of Windows. I even went so far as to remove the 'my recent documents' option on the start menu, to cover my tracks.

Now, one day, I'm playing football at college and somehow manage to dislocate my shoulder after a dodgy header challenge. My mum comes to pick me up and take me to hospital - and all through the journey, the x-ray and then on the trip home, she's got a grin on her face.

I get back, walk into my room, and emblazoned all over my bedroom are printed copies of playboy bunnies, Jenna Jameson, a few page 3 models and my particular favourite, Jenny McCarthy naked, legs akimbo in the hottub. They even knew about the copies of Penthouse I'd 'hidden' in my room.

I can hear my mum and stepdad laughing their head off downstairs, and after a couple of hours of panic attacks, go down to face the music.

Turns out, my tracks hadn't been so cleared as I though - my stepdad's cousin had e-mailed some wedding photos to him from Ireland, and the picture viewers 'open' dialog box had popped up with my 'special' folder by default.

Best thing about it? I know for a fact my stepdad wouldn't have worked out the possibilities of the net had I not shown him the way, indirectly as it was.

Moral of the story? Parents know. Everything. Even if the technology bewilders them.
(scentless_apprentice takes two bottles into the shower!, Tue 26 Sep 2006, 8:34, Reply)