Parenting
A couple of good parenting ideas have come across my desk.
One is an article from Parent Map on how to get your children to do their homework. This mom made a "homework hour" for the entire family. (I assume she got out her bills, etc. to work on while they did schoolwork.)
Any thoughts/tips from you about how you handle homework? Do you feel like your child is getting too much/too little/not effective homework or is it just right?
The other story is from a mom's blog - Janel Burley Hofmann about an iPhone contract with her 13-year old son. It is an 18-point contract full of some good stuff. What I like is that she is blunt - about how he might use it and consequences to doing some of those things, how she expects him to use it, outcomes if it is lost or damaged, school use, etc.
I do disagree a little with her saying she "owns" it if she gave it as a gift. (However, if she and her husband are paying for the service - as I am sure they are - then yes, she has every right to her contract.)
A few of her points:
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
One is an article from Parent Map on how to get your children to do their homework. This mom made a "homework hour" for the entire family. (I assume she got out her bills, etc. to work on while they did schoolwork.)
Any thoughts/tips from you about how you handle homework? Do you feel like your child is getting too much/too little/not effective homework or is it just right?
The other story is from a mom's blog - Janel Burley Hofmann about an iPhone contract with her 13-year old son. It is an 18-point contract full of some good stuff. What I like is that she is blunt - about how he might use it and consequences to doing some of those things, how she expects him to use it, outcomes if it is lost or damaged, school use, etc.
I do disagree a little with her saying she "owns" it if she gave it as a gift. (However, if she and her husband are paying for the service - as I am sure they are - then yes, she has every right to her contract.)
A few of her points:
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO – fear of missing out.
Comments
I am a helicopter parent when it comes to technology, social media, and internet use.
It's rather a lot like other licensing agreements. You don't own the music/movie/ebook/software - you just have a license to use it. She could have phrased it more like that, but really all she has to do is cut his service off and let him keep his phone. Even if he has $, I don't think he can sign a contract at 13. Then he's left with a fancy media player.
There is a subtle difference between "mom took back her iPhone" and "mom took away my iphone" -- but for my kids, at least, it DOES make a difference in how they view it (their right to do what they want with their stuff versus their privilege to use the stuff I bought for their use, as long as they use it within the family rules).
-Keeping it Simple
making do
Here's a link to a list compiled by Det Stefanie Thomas of the SPD (and a certain Madison mom) on cyberbullying, usage controls and other pertinent info.
Madison PTSA list