Search Results for: blog confessions of a reluctant facebook parent

Not-So Friendly Side of Facebook

By now you know that Facebook is considering allowing kids under 13 onto the site. Sure, there’s talk of mandatory parental supervision and speculation that the under 13 section will be ad free, but let’s get real here; this is Facebook were talking about. The social media phenomenon currently states that users must be 13 years or older; yet a recent Microsoft study published in AdAge estimates that more than 7.5 million underaged kids are already on Facebook, and a huge chunk of them got there with their parents’ help. Parents, who are virtually clueless about the ever-changing privacy setting … Continue reading →

The Flipside of Facebook

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” While you’re pondering that philosophical mind bender, answer this: “If I’m not on Facebook, am I missing out on much?” My parenting co-blogger Stephanie just posted a piece on how the popular social media platform can be a source of destruction if you don’t exercise prudence while communicating in the virtual world made up of real-life friends and family. Interestingly, while reading Stephanie’s blog I discovered that her teenage son and I share a common bond. Neither one of us … Continue reading →

Birthing Moms Go Glam for Facebook

I am not on Facebook, and don’t have any plans to create an account. This, of course, means I am out of the loop about certain events and incidents, especially since I have a number of friends who communicate exclusively via Facebook. Prime example: One of my childhood friends from Hawaii recently gave birth to a baby boy. Whereas I heard (via telephone) from another friend that my pal had a natural birth and the baby was in good health, I had no clue what Junior and his mom looked like post-birth because I was not able to view the … 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 →

Warning: Grandma’s on Facebook

And her grandkids are not happy about it. Getting friend requests from your grandmother isn’t exactly “cool” in the world of social media obsessed teens. In fact, a new survey says that large numbers of teens are abandoning their Facebook pages because they no longer want to deal with older family members having access to revealing information they post exclusively for their “real” friends. According to the survey, the percentage of 15 to 24 year olds with a page on a social networking site has dropped for the first time ever, though not by a significant amount (from 55% to … Continue reading →

Advantages and Disadvantages of Parenting a Video Game Enthusiast

It may be hard to believe, but video games are not all bad. Studies show that most teen gamers have excellent eye-hand coordination thanks in large part to the excessive amount of time they spend working toggles, buttons and other levers. In addition, many avid video game fans also develop skills in reading, math, and problem solving thanks to certain age-appropriate games. Still, the cons typically outweigh the pros when it comes to defining the impact video games have on young children. Most parents know how important it is to actively manage how much time their child spends playing video … 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 →

Are You a Text-Obsessed Parent?

You may not have fallen down an uncovered manhole while texting or beaten the California teen’s record of racking up an astonishing 14,528 text messages in ONE month, but experts say the number of text-obsessed parents is on the rise. If your preschooler is walking around the house using a calculator as a Blackberry in an attempt to be “just like you, mommy,” then you might have a problem… at least according to child development experts. While there is no question that modern technology has its benefits—-the ability to communicate with people around the world at all hours of the … Continue reading →

Good Parent Patrol

Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites have changed the way the world communicates. Technology has also made it much easier to blow the whistle on bad parents. Just ask local law enforcement officers, who respond to dozens of calls per day from concerned strangers, who witness alleged acts of parental neglect and child abuse. Acts of bad parenting are well documented, and these days it typically takes a story like this to raise eyebrows. This sad fact disturbed folks in Kalamazoo, Michigan so much that they decided to take matters into their own hands. Kalamazoo County Child Abuse and … Continue reading →