Search Results for: blog does your child have a cellphone

No Chance to Miss Your Kid

Does distance really make the heart grow fonder? It’s hard to believe it could in today’s high-tech world, especially when it comes to parent-child relationships. After all, tech-savvy moms and dads can easily reach out and touch their smartphone-toting offspring with the press of a single button regardless of how far they stray from the nest. In fact, according to a new study just published in AARP The Magazine, parents aged 47 to 66 admit to communicating with their 20-something children several times a day despite the fact that they don’t live in the same city. The online query, “Parents … 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 →

Do You Discipline Your Child in Public?

When it comes to disciplining a child, consistency is key. However, these days when screaming is the new spanking and swatting a child on the butt could land you in jail, some parents feel forced to ignore their tot when he has meltdown in public. Throw in the fact that everyone armed with a cellphone these days has child welfare services on speed dial and kids don’t hesitate to call the cops on their own parents (when they aren’t seeking revenge via the Internet), and you have the recipe for potential pandemonium. I, like many other parents, hate disciplining my … Continue reading →

Is Your Daughter Into Video Games?

If you answered “yes,” then you probably already know how challenging it is to find quality games that don’t promote stereotypical interests such as fashion and make up. On the other hand, if your daughter is interested in violent games featuring guns, warriors and knife-wielding car thieves, or ones that focus on male dominated sports such as football, boxing and baseball, then you’re probably broke by now. So, either way you’ve got issues. Despite the limited amount of video games tailored specifically to girls, child psychologists recommend parents not discourage their daughter’s interest in gaming. Rather, they recommend getting involved … Continue reading →

How Much Do You Know About Your Children’s Video Games?

Many parents willingly hand over cash to their kids as allowance or for birthdays and other special occasions, but do you know what that money is being used to purchase? These days an increasing amount of kids are spending money–your money–on video games. Games that most parents have no clue how to play. Think about it; would you know the toggle from the touch pad if your child invited you to play his video game? Studies show that parents rarely, if ever, play video games with their kids. Rather, most moms and dads simply fork over the money to buy … Continue reading →

Do You Keep Track of Your Cellphone Better Than You Do Your Kid?

Cellphone. Check. Wallet. Check. Luggage. Check. Five-year-old daughter… hmmm… now where did I leave that kid of mine? Those might not be the exact words used by the parents of the little girl left sleeping in a Boston taxi cab earlier this week, but I’m sure they’re darn close. What’s more, I’m even more confident that thousands of absent-minded moms and dads around the world can relate to the Massachusetts’ family’s heart-stopping incident. The frightening tale began when the family of six took a cab home from Logan International Airport on Sunday. Apparently, the clan had just returned from a … Continue reading →

Does Your Teen Drive to School?

My parents allowed my brothers and I to share a single vehicle while we were in high school. Three teens (and one tween, who insisted on tagging along) sharing one car–definitely not a pretty situation. Still, that one car provided my parents with freedom some moms and dads only dream of. Not only did we use the car to get to and from school (thus, giving my parents a break from taxi duty), but it also transported us to all of our extra-curricular activities. Unfortunately, the car did not escape our teen years without sustaining serious damage (all my older … Continue reading →

You Know Your Kid is Obsessed with Texting When…

When she falls down an uncovered manhole because she didn’t want to miss the chance to tweet about the latest hook-up rumor. Sadly, it’s a true story. Alexa Longueira, a popular Staten Island teen, did in fact fall down a manhole because she was too busy texting. According to police, the girl fell roughly five feet into a dark pit as she walked along a relatively empty side street in New York City. Reports say workers from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection were about to put out safety cones when Longueira reportedly came strolling along with her eyes firmly … Continue reading →

How to Have Even More Fun at Disneyland and Disney World

On average how many minutes do you spend strolling around Disneyland or Disney World trying to track down costumed characters to pose with your children for what could the family snapshot of the year? Ten minutes, 20, 30? I once went four hours walking through every land in the California amusement park before finally hooking up with Minnie Mouse on Main Street. These types of frustrating experiences may be a thing of the past thanks to a new partnership between the Walt Disney Co. and Verizon Wireless. The two mega-companies recently announced that they have reached a multiyear deal to … Continue reading →

Does Your Child Have a Cellphone?

According to the Center on Media and Child Health, 54 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds will have a cell phone in the next three years. So by 2011 more tweens will have cellphones than they will dictionaries, calculators or any other handheld device—-electronic or otherwise. Scary. Is life really unimaginable without these handy devices? For some parents the answer is a wholehearted: “Yes!” A recent survey found that most parents who bought their kids cellphones say they did so for “convenience” and “safety” reasons. In fact, some parents revealed that the allure of GPS tracking capability inspired them to purchase … Continue reading →