Search Results for: blog should you buy your child a cell phone

Gen X Parents Raising Connected Children

The world has changed, in so many ways, between when you were a child and today. Parents who are part of Generation X are the first to raise children (and teens) in a world where the internet is so prevalent. Times have changed, in so many ways! The Washington Post has an article titled “Parenting as a Gen Xer: We’re the first generation of parents in the age of iEverything”. It was written by Allison Slater Tate and posted on September 19, 2014. In it, she comments on the difficulties faced by parent who can’t understand why their kids won’t … Continue reading →

The Whopping Family Cell Phone Bill

Cell phones as we know them are only a few decades old, and yet it is hard to think about living without them, despite the fact that humankind survived centuries without cell phones. It isn’t unusual these days to be spending $250 or more a month for your family cell phones. In some families, the cell phone expense may be the second highest monthly bill, after the mortgage or the rent. Doing without other things, from eating out to dental care (in some cases) in order to afford cell phones has become the norm. How did things get so crazy? … Continue reading →

Moms Stink at Money Matters

Hey, I’m just the messenger. Personally, I think most moms rock at finances, but according to the gurus at LearnVest (a personal finance website for women), most women with kids fall short when it comes to making wise financial decisions. And why do the brainiacs at LearnVest think moms stink when it comes to handling money? We’re. Too. Nice. Apparently, sugar and spice and everything nice is a very bad combo when it comes to money. LearnVest experts claim that because moms are “too nice” and “too nurturing” they end of falling into an abyss of money problems. Competition is … Continue reading →

The Go Bag

I’ve mentioned my vast purse before. It’s really a backpack, and it has everything except the kitchen sink inside it. In fact, there may be a kitchen sink down there somewhere: I haven’t looked at the bottom of the bag recently. Living in the scenic but earthquake-prone Pacific Northwest, I also use by backpack as my Go Bag. A Go Bag is a miniature earthquake survival kit. It’s full of the essentials to keep you healthy and safe if an earthquake should occur when you’re outside your home. Since I’m at work or out often during the day, I have … Continue reading →

Calendars for a Cause

It’s true that these days I can’t live without my cell phone / personal assistant. All of my appointments are in there safe and sound, unless of course I drop my phone in a puddle, which I have been known to do. So I also have my good, old-fashioned wall calendar hanging in the kitchen for those times when my phone is dead or missing. Everyone should have one. But, instead of buying one of those cartoon calendars or one loaded with pictures of Brad Pitt, I prefer ones that raise money for children with special needs. There are plenty … Continue reading →

$2.40 per year

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Sometimes kids help you figure out some of the simplest things. In the past I’ve noticed how our son helps his parents see the beauty of small things. The saying about stopping to smell roses comes to mind. Until our son came around I had forgotten the times I used to sit in the bathtub and watch the water slowly swirl into a tornado as it drained away. I had completely forgotten about this small marvel in life. Truth be told I don’t even think I’ve taken a bath in a number of years (opting for what seems like the … Continue reading →

Carnival of Educators -Drama Club Edition

Welcome to the November 17, 2009 edition of carnival of educators. This is the fourth edition of the Carnival of Educators. For those new to carnivals, they are basically blog or column posts that include links to tidbits from dozens of other carnivals. Each week the carnival is hosted at a different blog to spread the wealth and the work around. This weeks edition is the Drama Club edition. In the past two weeks, I have been to numerous homeschool and school productions, and my own kids are in the middle of Tech week for a play scheduled for five … Continue reading →

Why I Keep My Teens on a Short Leash

After reading No Free-Range Kids for Me? by Mary Ann Romans, I have to agree wholeheartedly. The idea of having free range kids is well, just a little nutty from me and coming from one of those crazy homeschoolers, that’s saying alot. In our entire neighborhood, we have one “free range” child, and I have been tempted to call child protection several times. I have seen him wandering both in and out of the subdivision in all types of weather, and there have been times that he came to my house for shelter as his mother locked him out of … Continue reading →

Are Your Kids Bracelets a Code for Sex?

This is a teen fad that has been spreading for some time now and has gotten to the point where schools area beginning to ban it. In England they are called Shag Bands. In the United States they are innocently called jelly bands, but the kids in England have named it more appropriately. These thin rubber/plastic bracelets have actually been around for quite some time and were made popular by Madonna. I remember wearing them myself, putting on a few to match whatever I was wearing and going about my own business. These days, kids need to watch what color … Continue reading →

Cell Phone Rules for Teens

Some time ago, a Michelle, a families.com blogger asked, “Does Your Child Have a Cellphone”. While it was clearly something she wasn’t interested in, she estimated that 54 percent of 8-12 year old’s would have them in the next three years. I am not surprised. In fact my kids have had cell phones since they were 11. The reason for giving my kids cell phones was to keep track of them when they left the home. Back when I was a kid, my mother gave me change when I left the house so I could call her from a pay … Continue reading →