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

Be Aware of Online Dangers

In my last blog I talked about a story that was on Dr. Phil’s show this week “Ask about the Internet.” It was about a man who had been deceived by a woman he met online. Well this show had another segment that emphasized other types of online dangers. This was about a 17-year-old girl who was the victim of a false Facebook profile that was set up. Someone had created a Facebook page that was supposed to be of her which included nude photographs. Now these nude pictures weren’t really of her but the idea that others would think … Continue reading

A Not So Obvious Danger

We hear a lot about working mothers and the lack of time they spend with their children, teaching them but what about stay at home Moms? It can be just as much a danger. This week I read an interesting letter in Southern Cross magazine and it raised just this issue. The author suggested that stay at home Moms need wisdom every bit as much as the working away from home Mom does. She suggested that stay at home Moms can be in danger of being so involved in other activities things like running playgroup, bible study, or involved in … Continue reading

Teaching Internet Safety via Games

As more and more children spend time on the internet, it is important they understand about safety. Between companies trying to make offers tempting to young minds and predators lurking in dark (and sometimes bright) corners, we need to do everything possible to teach them safety. Today, game manufacturers are getting in on the game plan by putting together games that help with internet safety. I wanted to tell you about two specific games designed for this very purpose, both excellent. The first is a game called Privacy Playground: The First Adventure of the Three Little CyperPigs. This particular game … Continue reading

Children and Internet Safety

Even an outstanding single parent is going to have times when the children use movies, CDs, DVDs, or even the internet to pass time. For instance, in a single parent home, keeping the kids involved with positive activity at all times is challenging. You might find that while cooking dinner, the kids turn to the computer for doing homework, which is fine. However, without the eyes of four parents to monitor the kids, they can get into places they do not belong. The internet is both good and bad. Again, it provides an open avenue to the world, teaching our … Continue reading

Teaching Teenagers About The Danger Of Internet Predators

It is summer and the average teenager is online 5.5 hours a day, with about 77 million on-line each day. Most are visiting one of the 40,000 chat rooms where according to a 2002 FBI report there is a 100% chance they will encounter a pedophile at some time. What is the danger with chat rooms? The Safe Surfin Foundation says that the danger is that “75% of children and teens report sharing personal information about them and their families to complete strangers in chat rooms.” Child predators use the tidbits of information that they glean from on-line chat rooms … Continue reading

Teaching Children About Child Molesters

With child abuse numbers so high it is important that parents educate their children. Teaching children to be wary of strangers is not enough, since about 90% of abuse cases happen with an adult that the child knows and respects. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children stresses that parents need to teach their children using “clear, calm, reasonable messages about situations and actions to look for.” What We Need To Teach Our Children Child Help USA, an organization that offers support to children who have been abused or neglected, provides a list of prevention tips for parents to … Continue reading

What Teen Girls Experience Online

It is well known that adult women experience harassment online. It can be stressful, frustrating, and abusive. What many parents do not realize is that teenage girls are also experiencing online harassment. It might be a good idea to sit down and ask your teenager about what she has faced via social media. The Pew Research Center did a study called “Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships”. Both male and female teens were included in the study. The teens were between the ages of 13 and 17. All of them were American. Some of the study revealed data about how teens … Continue reading

Your Tween May be Posting Personal Information on Instagram

Instagram is a popular social media website that is primarily about photos. People post selfies, photos of what they had for dinner, vacation photos, and whatever else they want to share online. What many parents don’t realize is that teens and tweens are sharing a lot more than photos on Instagram! The terms of service at Instagram state: “You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service”. It is possible for a teenager to simply make their own Instagram account without asking their parent for permission to do so first. Some parents will make an Instagram account … Continue reading

Teens and Instant Messaging

Teenagers lead the country in use of technology. With 87% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, using the Internet on an almost daily basis. That number has risen 24% in the last four years. Today more teens than ever use the Internet to play games, get news, shop, and find health information. Email, once considered cutting edge, is quickly being replaced by instant and text messaging. Email is considered the method to communicate with adults like teachers or to send long messages to a large group of friends. But it is in IM that teens share details … Continue reading