Search Results for: blog a lesson for parents withtext crazed kids

Why Kids and Smartphones Don’t Mix

No one said using a smartphone is a sure-fire way to avoid making stupid mistakes. I’ve covered the not-so wonderful side of technology in previous posts.  However, this latest gem goes beyond falling down manholes or setting expensive texting records. If you are a parent, you now have another reason to safeguard your smartphone when your kids are around. Paul Stoute is living proof that protecting your cellphone from little fingers is one of the smartest parenting moves you can make. The Oregon dad is the new owner of a vintage car, thanks to his toddler daughter’s cellphone skills. Or, … Continue reading →

What Do Your Kids Google?

How many things have you Googled today? If you visited the online giant in the past 24 hours you might have noticed a quaint bucolic scene featuring a random cow minding his own business in a snowy pasture. Then, out of nowhere a monster snowflake falls like the famous New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square, barely missing the oblivious bovine. The comical Google Doodle was created to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the largest snowflake, which reportedly landed in Montana in 1887. For parents around the world that useless bit of trivia could have been the springboard for an … Continue reading →

Does Facebook Kill Kids?

Fifty years. That’s how long a Florida mom will spend behind bars for shaking her 3-month-old son to death after his cries interrupted her FarmVille game on Facebook. A half century in prison for killing an innocent baby. Some say it’s not enough. Twenty-two-year-old Alexandra Tobias was given the sentence just last week as a judge wrapped up her murder case, which began last October. A couple of months ago the mom pleaded guilty to killing her infant son with her bare hands, and then lying to authorities to cover up his death. According to court records, Tobias told investigators … Continue reading →

Social Media Helping Parents

I’m not a huge fan of Twitter. In fact, I am not a fan at all. Don’t hate. I’m not in the I’m-above-using-social-media camp; rather, I simply don’t have the time or means to share 140-character random thoughts with legions of tweeps. Plus, I doubt anyone cares whether or not I watching a swarm of locust fly by my window or that I just devoured four courses and a bottle of wine at a fancy French restaurant and I’m headed toward unconsciousness. Though, I could be wrong. Still, according to a new report, a huge chunk of Twitter fans are … Continue reading →

How Often Do You Argue With Your Kids?

Raise your hand if you NEVER argue with your kids. Scores of childhood experts claim that parents should take the high road and never quarrel with their kids. Of course, we don’t how many of those “experts” have kids of their own, and of those that do, how many share living space with tempestuous teens who could care less if you want them off the phone RIGHT.THIS.INSTANT. My young daughter is nowhere near teen-dom, but I still find myself arguing with her over issues including picking up her toys, not running around in Target’s crowded parking lot and exercising good … Continue reading →

Parents, Kids and Video Games

If you can’t find a single thing valuable about your kids’ video games, then you obviously haven’t been reading the paper inserts that come in the game boxes. Many video game manufacturers now include tiny leaflets as part of their product’s packaging listing reasons why electronic gaming is beneficial to a child’s development. Surprisingly, more and more childhood experts are going public supporting the video-games-can-be-an-important-part-of-a-child’s-social-life philosophy. Though, the experts add one caveat: Video games are okay provided they are played in moderation and the types of games being played are age appropriate. A recent study found that quality video games: … Continue reading →

A Lesson for Parents WithText-Crazed Kids

Text addiction doesn’t begin to describe the problem 13-year-old Reina Hardesty suffers from. The California teen recently racked up an astonishing 14,528 text messages in ONE month, producing an AT&T billing statement that totaled 440 pages. Can your kid top that? AT&T billing managers say the feat is almost incomprehensible. If you do the math you’d find that Reina texted 484 text messages a day, or one every two minutes of every waking hour. It doesn’t seem humanly possible, but according to the text happy teen, she was able to do so with the help of her four obsessive texting … Continue reading →

The Waiting Game

(The ticket to higher education.) Forget about the Hunger Games, tis the season for the waiting game. Millions of high school seniors are anxiously waiting for colleges to either welcome them with open arms or send a skinny envelope dashing their dreams of pursuing higher education at the campus of their choice. Do you remember the day you received your first college acceptance letter? I was fortunate to get into my top three picks, and like the majority of my teenage peers, I broke into a happy dance and eagerly shared the news with family and friends. Boy, have times … Continue reading →

The Not-So Wonderful Side of Technology

I’m no tech junkie. I don’t own a smartphone. I don’t allow my kid to play video games. I am anti-Facebook and I don’t text. However, this is not to say that I don’t embrace the wonders of technology. For example, I am hugely grateful for television remotes and I couldn’t make a living without a laptop. In addition, I don’t think I could live without a telephone answering machine. In fact, without the simple technological wonder, I wouldn’t be able to listen to my grandmother’s voice whenever I felt the need. My dear, sweet grandmother who died nearly five … Continue reading →

The Truth Behind the Smiles

How many of these photos did you get over the holidays? I received about 80… along with detailed Year in Review newsletters on fancy winter-themed stationery. Yesterday, I finally got around to putting away all those photos. Nearly seven dozen pictures of friends and family members showing off their pearly whites. As I stored the photo cards and newsletters I couldn’t help but think about how happy they all looked. Look at all those happy faces. Just so darn happy, happy, happy. Man, that’s a lot of happiness in one shot. Boy, what great lives they must lead. What happy, … Continue reading →