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Double Take: Planning a Balanced Teen Summer
Dr. Wes: The last day of school is just weeks away. If you’re a senior (like Miranda!) your high school days are even fewer in number. So what’s on your teen agenda for summer 2012? If the answer is limited to video games, sleep and general mayhem now are the time to plan a summer overhaul.…
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Facebook and Tweens: Three Reasons Why Parental Supervision Won’t Cut It
We have all heard the news by now that Facebook is developing technology that would allow children under 13 to join the network with parental supervision, as “tweens” are a valuable demographic. If allowed, parents would not only be able to control who their children “friend,” but also have insight into what applications they use and…
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Make Me Wanna Make You Love me
So I had lunch with both kids today, and while the details of lunching with 5th-grade boys truly brought tears to my eyes more than once (with laughter), I wanted to note this little exchange I had with Sophie for the record books… when I lunch with Ezra, I’m more like an audience for his…
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When You’re Not sure who’s Being Punished
When you have teenagers, discipline takes on a whole new meaning. As do the ‘crimes’. I mean, when they were little, it was time out, and it could be multiple times a day. Some days I wished someone would put me in time out. In our house, they would get the occasional swat on the butt. (I…
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Notice
Last night, Ezra came back out to the kitchen after I’d shut off all the lights. I wandered out with the expectation of growling at him for still being up, but instead, I found myself watching quietly from the hallway kitchen entrance. As he normally does, he had already put out his cereal and cereal…
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Open Letter to Hot Rod Magazine
I was reading my June issue of Hot Rod over the weekend, and the more pages I turned, the more I got this creeping feeling that something was amiss. Lots of good stuff in there, like always. But the content wasn’t the problem. Page after page… oh, that’s it! Not a single page missing or…
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Five Ways To Teach Kids About Money Using Online Tools
With the current economic climate it pays to be savvy with your money and it’s never too soon for children to start learning about saving, managing and making money. While we’re not suggesting that you turn your children into money-obsessed people, worried to spend their pocket-money or always on the lookout to make more money, it…
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6 Best Time Savers for “New School” Parents
If your child will be entering a new level school this fall, you may be in for a rude awakening. You could feel short on time now, but just wait until you have a tween or teen to help get ready in the morning when the new school starts on a whole new schedule. Luckily,…
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What Are The Best High School Jobs?
If you’re in high school and you need to have extra money, there are a lot of jobs you can try. Part-time jobs for high school students are available almost everywhere. All it takes is initiative, hard work, and some guts. So what kinds of jobs can you have in high school? Here are five great…
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Old-Fashioned Friendship
The glare of two computer screens in a dark room assaulted my retina as soon as I walked into my daughter’s bedroom to say goodnight to her and her friend, who was spending the weekend with us. I immediately reminded them of the lateness of the hour and the No Electronics After 8 pm policy. “Let’s be…