Search Results for: blog texting your child while in school

Are You A Snowplow Parent?

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There are many different kinds of parenting styles to choose from. Some of them are very beneficial both to the children and the parents. Others are disadvantageous to not only the children, but also to their parents. Among the worst is the “snowplow parent”. Actual snow is not required for a parent to choose this parenting style. Emma Waverman, writing for Today’s Parent defined a snowplow parent as “a person who constantly forces obstacles out of their kids’ paths. They have their eye on the future success of their child, and anyone or anything that stands in their way has … Continue reading →

Fastest Texter in the Nation

It seems almost counterproductive to congratulate a teen on the fact that they are the fastest texter in the nation. But I guess if it comes with a $50,000 reward, it is hard to find the bad in it. I should also be proud that this dubious award was given to a fellow Wisconsinite, Austin Wierschke. This is actually the second year in a row that the 17-year-old has received the honor, with prize money now coming to $100,000. And you have to give him thumbs up (pun intended) for his decision to use that money to pay for college. … Continue reading →

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to…

Summer is primetime for family vacations. With kids out of school and Mother Nature providing fairly decent travel weather, many clans are taking to the skies or hitting the road on summer adventures. For some families, this year’s seasonal escapes will be hard to forget. Just ask the family who made a pit stop in Memphis on the way to their summer vacation destination. While it’s unfortunate, it is certainly not unusual these days to read headlines about parents accidently forgetting their children at Interstate rest areas, restaurants, stores or theme parks. However, it’s not every day that you hear … Continue reading →

Tethered To A Cell Phone

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I don’t know how mothers did this single mom thing before cell phones. I’m tethered to mine and so is Hailey. I don’t know what I would do if I could not reach her at any time. Being a working single mother meant that Hailey has always been on her own a lot. Thanks to cell phones she could call me anytime she was frightened and I could call her anytime I just wanted to know she was ok. Hailey got her first phone when she was twelve. Lots of people told me that was too young but for us, … Continue reading →

It’s Out of My Hands

So this week my 17-year-old son is in Haiti on a construction project. The first couple of days were extremely difficult for me. I didn’t sleep much, cried a little and thought about him constantly. As each day passes, it gets a little better. It’s also encouraging to know that as each day goes by, it also means getting closer to his return. And I am incredibly grateful for technology. While our phone service doesn’t allow for him to call or text, he is able to text us through his iPod. The house he is staying in has Wi-Fi and … Continue reading →

Keeping Kids Safe Online

When you are a single parent your child may spend more time unsupervised than you would like, it’s important to teach them basic safety. One of the big areas that you need to be concerned with is the internet. While there are many good things online, education things, there are other things that can be harmful if your child ventures in unsupervised. Everyone has heard stories of online predators and bullies, so how do we protect our kids? I think the most important thing you can do it talk with your children. Before they go online the first time it … Continue reading →

A Fly on the Wall

Wouldn’t you just love to be a fly on the wall when it comes to your children? Some parents got that rare opportunity through a special done on “Dateline”. It was about what children do when they are put to the test. Parents were allowed to watch it all unfold behind hidden cameras. The entire show was very interesting, so I plan on writing some blogs based on the different segments. There was one segment where children were put to the test on whether or not they would allow a stranger to walk into their home. There were also segments … Continue reading →

Unplug, Please

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This is a plea to parents. We express concern at the way our children sink easily into the television. I know that my four-year-old does. We get worried about their interest in video or computer games and try to limit their exposure to violence in the digital media. Many of us try very hard to control our children’s media focus, but we neglect to do one thing. We forget to turn it off ourselves. The latest trend? We text during the times when we could be hanging out with our children, focused instead on scrolling down a tiny screen. Either … 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 →

Are You a Facebook Parent?

Between parenting a preschooler, working three jobs, training for a marathon, and keeping my home presentable, I barely have time to wash my face, so the idea of creating and maintaining a Facebook page is beyond the bottom of my priority list. While the social networking site may be off my radar screen, for other parents it is the center of their universe. Personally, I always considered Facebook to be a phenomenon reserved for teens and 20-somethings, who wanted to keep up with their school chums. But, that was before I showed up for playgroup at my former colleague’s home … Continue reading →