No parent is perfect.  

And it’s by no means easy to raise kids.

And sometimes, in very unfortunate situations, being a parent becomes no longer possible or feasible.

Which is why it’s so great to know that instead of just abandoning their child, parents can now turn to the glory of the Internet to sell their unwanted sun/daughter.  
This brings us to an unidentified man who goes by Rick, who as of February has been posting on the popular buying/selling website Craigslist looking for people to buy his son Gavin.

So… assuming you went on to Craigslist to search for a new son to add to your family, does Gavin seem like a good purchasing opportunity?

But how do you know if Gavin is really a great kid?  How do you know if Gavin would be right for your family?  How do you know what his unique interests are?

Ah, good to know.  But refusing to eat vegetables??  Guess he’ll just have to be trained better to finish all those brussel sprouts.  But now that you know this, are you curious about what else he refuses to do?  Can you tell whether he’s easy to handle?  Do you think he’s whiney, annoying, irritable?  Do you think he can be disciplined?

Oh, word.  Thanks for sharing your parenting techniques with us, Rick.  You’re clearly doing a good job there, although the fact that you’re posting to sell your own son on Craigslist is a little fishy… but nothing too out of the blue I suppose.

Anything else you want to share with us potential buyers, Rick?

Aw, how sweet.  This really shows that Rick cares.

So, after reviewing these posts more thoroughly, do you think you might want to buy Gavin??  Or would you rather just stick to shopping for used Bose headphones and perusing for summer jobs that require you to take your bra off…

Ultimately, it’s just nice to know that there are so many different things available to buy, sell, and discover on Craigslist.  And don’t forget about the “Missed connections”!

Welcome to Chatroulette.  We’ll let the NY Times provide you with some social commentary to get you started:

Nothing can really prepare you for the latest online phenomenon, Chatroulette.

The social Web site, created just three months ago by a 17-year-old Russian named Andrey Ternovskiy, drops you into an unnerving world where you are connected through webcams to a random, fathomless succession of strangers from across the globe. You see them, they see you. You talk to them, they talk to you. Or not. The site, which is gaining thousands of users a day and lately some news coverage, has a faddish feel, but those who study online vagaries see a glimpse into a surreal future, a turn in the direction of the Internet.

Before you rush off to your computer to try Chatroulette, it is only fair to let you know what you’re getting into. Entering Chatroulette is akin to speed-dating tens of thousands of perfect strangers — some clothed, some not.

But Chatroulette opens up so many exciting opportunities for all of us!  Let’s explore some of those now:

Welcome to Chat Roulette, a whole new way to “be anonymous” and mess with people on the internet.

Show off your special talents!

You’ll get to enjoy lots of new and exciting experiences.

Find people who you have lots in common with.

It’s a great way to randomly catch a familiar face.

Who knows, you might just get to flash your favorite tween stars??

Maybe you’ll find someone just as pathetically lonely and bored as you are!

Connect with people that you’ve only heard about but never knew were actually real.

You can make a person’s day, just by giving them a nice ol compliment.

There’s so much to learn about in the world, and what a better way to learn than seeing it for yourself, right on your own laptop?