Your Kids Will Become Old Enough to Google Themselves

Everyone wants to keep their children safe online. Even so, many parents cannot resist posting photos and stories about their kids on social media. Be aware that your kids will become old enough to Google themselves. Some children who do this become upset and anxious about what they find. Decades ago, before the age of the internet, parents shared stores and photos of their kids with family members and close friends. Today, many parents share the same information online. It does not appear that most parents consider how their child would feel about having that information made public. The Atlantic … Continue reading →

How to Unplug Your Kids And Encourage Family Communication

Want to have a better relationship with your kids and teens? Do you find it hard to get their attention when they are staring at a screen? Here are some tips for parents who want to unplug their kids and encourage communication. Limit Screen Time The goal is to place limits on when and where your child or teen can use their computer, tablet, or smartphone. The goal is not to remove those devices from your kids forever. A reasonable amount of screen time can be stimulating and sometimes even educational. Parents need to pick their battles with this one. … Continue reading →

Disney Playmation Gets Kids Moving

One common complaint that parents have about video games is that requires the player to sit down, indoors, for the entire time they are playing the game. That can be frustrating for parents who wish their kids would get some exercise. Disney Playmation can provide a solution. It is a video game that gets kids moving! Playmation combines the best elements of video games and imaginative play. To use it, a kid must have a special high-tech toy that has motion-sensor technology, Bluetooth, and cloud connectivity. The wearable device is key, and can be enhanced with the use of a … Continue reading →

Technology is a Poor Substitute for Social Interaction

Are your kids addicted to the internet? How much time do your kids spend looking at a screen instead of interacting with family? Parents might want to consider taking steps to limit the amount of “screen time” that their kids are getting. The New York Times has an article by Jane Brody in which she discusses the negative affects that countless hours of playing video games can have on children. It’s not just teenagers, either. Younger kids can also behave as if they are addicted to “the internet”. How does this happen? There is a Kaiser Family Foundation study that … Continue reading →

Is it Ever Ok to Bribe your Kids?

How do you get your children to do what you want them to? What do you do to encourage them to do certain things and to refrain from doing other things? Many parents have, at least sometimes, resorted to bribing their children. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Is it ever ok to bribe your kids? New findings reveal some interesting answers to these questions. First, it would be helpful to figure out what a bribe is (and what it isn’t). Author Ellen Perry points out that there is a continuum to be aware of. Motivation is one one end, … Continue reading →

The Importance of Listening

How could I possibly resist listening to this adorable angel? My daughter’s smile can light up a room, but her insanely long recaps of lunchroom drama between five girls, a shoe, a note and some other item that I have no earthly idea about, are far from illuminating. In fact, her convoluted conspectuses often make my ears burn, though the pain could actually be my brain frying, as I try to decipher what green socks and Eggplant Parmesan have to do with how she fared on Friday’s spelling test. I try to make sense of it all, but I’m old. … Continue reading →

Controversial Dress Ban

Prom is not cheap. Dressing for prom will drain your wallet even more. So, what happens when you find an affordable prom gown that flatters your figure, but you can’t wear it to the big dance because of a new school dress code? That’s the dilemma facing eighth grade girls at Readington Middle School in New Jersey. The school principal recently decided to ban strapless dresses from the year-end dinner dance, but did so after some parents had already forked over a pretty penny for their daughters’ fancy shoulder-baring frocks. Dozens of moms and dads are now taking to social … Continue reading →

Better Off Not Knowing

As parents, we want the best for our children. We want to protect them from harm and ensure them every success in life. To that end, most of us take to heart information provided by experts, such as doctors, researchers and scientists. However, more and more these days it seems said experts are spending way too much time, money and resources analyzing subjects that most parents are better off not knowing. Case in point: A recent study regarding diapers, babies and the ability to walk. According to three reputable developmental scientists, who were able to convince some entity to … Continue reading →

The Bedroom Phone

She may not have a television in her bedroom, but my 8-year-old does have a popular link to the outside world plugged into her wall—a telephone. Not a cellphone… a landline telephone. Initially, I put it in there for emergencies. When my daughter was an infant, I used to nurse her in her room for hours, so I figured hooking up a corded phone in the corner of the room would be a good idea. We kick it old school around here. Though, I may be kicking myself very soon. Right now, my daughter has no desire to sit in … Continue reading →