News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

Labels: driving, risky_behavior, safety

"Experts warn that taking MySpace away just makes the site all the more seductive for today's tech-savvy kids, who find a workaround. Also, cybersyping driven by fear of MySpace, rather than a child's bad behavior, can break the trust between a parent and child and create a rift in their relationship."

Labels: internet, myspace, safety

Labels: driving, risky_behavior, safety

Labels: driving, safety, teenagers

"Among teens, there is a strong demand for text messaging and email on cell phones. Now they want additional features, too, says Chris Collins, a senior analyst with Yankee Group. In a survey, 26% of teens said that having Internet access was a must-have feature for the next phone they bought..."

Labels: cell_phones, internet, safety

Labels: cell_phones, risky_behavior, safety

"The bill would restrict young drivers in a number of ways including reduced driving hours and prohibitions on cell phone usage and number of young passengers in the car."

Labels: driving, liability, safety

Labels: driving, research, safety

"The result is their expanding 'Rookie Driver' designation, currently distributed in 45 states and Canada. Fortenbacher says parent concerns and the fact that over one million teens are involved in auto accidents each year have helped spread the word."

Labels: driving, safety

"Every time Jane writes or reads one of those [keywords], Cindy gets an email and can see what she's up to. It's a far cry from past generations, where parents knew what their kids were up to. The family telephone didn't offer much privacy."

Labels: internet, privacy, safety

"It's not clear that a surveillance society actually provides more security. Consider the ubiquitous surveillance cameras at schools. What did they do for that Cleveland high school last month except to leave behind chilling, post-mortem pictures of the 14-year-old shooter? And how easy is it to drop the GPS jacket by the roadside?"

Labels: communication, safety, trust

"Contracts with adolescents are an excellent parenting approach because teens yearn to be treated as adults. These parents are not dictating cell phone usage but instead pulling their teenager into full agreement; he obtains the privilege of using a cell phone but only under certain conditions."

Labels: cell_phones, responsibility, safety

Labels: accidents, driving, safety

"The easiest way to get started is to realize that you'll never know all the lingo that your teen or child will know. Choose bits and pieces of lingo then turn to a guide or lingo dictionary for guidance. Some terminology is common sense, some is completely unnecessary and some is a way to hide information. Check out resources available to educate yourself on chat lingo and decide if you want the necessities or more of the whole picture."

Labels: communication, safety, text_messaging

"The easiest way to get started is to realize that you'll never know all the lingo that your teen or child will know. Choose bits and pieces of lingo then turn to a guide or lingo dictionary for guidance. Some terminology is common sense, some is completely unnecessary and some is a way to hide information. Check out resources available to educate yourself on chat lingo and decide if you want the necessities or more of the whole picture."

Labels: communication, safety, text_messaging

"The functions, ranging from call blocking and hour limits to text message and download allowances, will be set through a Web site. Calls to or from a parent's number can be made to override the restrictions, and calls to 911 can be made anytime."

Labels: cell_phones, responsibility, safety

Labels: backpacks, health, safety

"It sounds as though you are old enough to know about sex and you have hormones that already have changed your body and now lead you to think about sex a lot, or least about kissing and stuff like that. But I'm pretty certain that you aren't old enough to know how to deal with these curiosities and urges. So you need help learning how to be the boss of your body."

Labels: safety, sex, supervision

"'I've ridden in the trunk many times,' said David Mack. 'We often have too many people in the car and since I'm the smallest, it all came down to me.'"

Labels: driving, risky_behavior, safety

"Kids raise money for mission trips, they raise the profile for their music or art, and they have direct access to millions of people without wading through the corporate cesspool. Composers of all sorts still post their music on their pages, and in our rootless society, friends and family from around the world can log on and hear it."

Labels: internet, positivies, safety

"Elizabeth Englander, a psychology professor at Bridgewater State College, says there can be positive and negative aspects to a child as young as 7 or 8 years old having a cell. She says it all depends on weighing a phone's pros and cons. She says there is an advantage to a younger child having a cell phone to call a parent during an emergency or to be picked up, but that kids and parents must be aware of the possible dangers."

Labels: cell_phones, safety, tweens

"The service, for $15 per month, gives drivers 24/7 roadside assistance, and lets parents set speed limits and 'safe driving zones,' and use curfew reminders."

Labels: driving, safety

"'The two main factors in accidents involving teens are inexperience and distractions', said Dan Strollo, president of In Control Advanced Driver Training."

Labels: driving, safety, text_messaging

"Detective Ryan O’Connell, 30-year police veteran, advises, 'You have to drill into your children the fact that NOISE is their best defense in the face of abduction. Regardless of what threat is being made at them or their loved ones, they MUST raise alarm, cause a commotion, put the fear of being caught into the bad person.'"

Labels: awareness, communication, safety

"The biggest myth that has been perpetuated by well meaning law enforcement, Internet safety advocates, and the media is that the Internet is teeming with predators who are waiting for your child to post just enough information so they can find them and abduct them."

Labels: internet, media_infuences, safety

"It appears that old-fashioned parenting is waning especially with a host of new products that help parents keep tabs on their children, including one-touch phones and even electronic tags that can be sewn into clothing. However, remember that eyes, ears and plain old attention and accountability go a long way in keeping tabs on your children."

Labels: driving, risky_behavior, safety

"Most phones come with cameras, and some parents should tell their teens not only to call, but also to send a photo of a landmark once they get to a destination[Terry Blinke, Dow High's Prom President] said."

Labels: cell_phones, prom, safety