Thoughts that make you a secure parent, how to handle vaping and more

Thoughts that make you a secure parent, how to handle vaping and more

by | Sep 30, 2019 | addiction, Anxiety, Boundaries, Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's Health & Mental Health, Children's mental health, Faith, Family, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parental Authority, Parental control, Parenting, Relationship, Social Media, Trauma-informed parenting, Wisdom

Fifteen years ago when I started this mission to strengthen the parent-child bond in a cyber-powered world my own confidence as a parent was deeply shaken. And while mostly I observed that the children were making good choices despite their peer pressures – still the...
Why devices are not to blame for a lack of connection with your child

Why devices are not to blame for a lack of connection with your child

by | May 28, 2019 | Anxiety, Boundaries, Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's Health & Mental Health, Discipline, Faith, Family, Internet addiction, Internet Safety, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parenting, Social Media, Substance abuse prevention, Teenagers, Wisdom

Recently I found a very honest and inspirational book on parenting at the local thrift store, entitled, The Key to Your Child’s Heart, by Gary Smalley. Published in 1984, Smalley (an author, educator, pastor, husband and father) shares some of the fundamentals of...
A sixth-grader’s insights on responsible use of a smartphone

A sixth-grader’s insights on responsible use of a smartphone

by | Feb 25, 2019 | Boundaries, Discipline, Family, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child communication, Parent-child relationship, Parenting, Social Media, Texting, Wisdom

This is a guest blog feature by my niece, Katie. She is in the sixth grade and I asked her to share her insights about how she is going to use the smartphone for good when her parents do allow her to receive one of her own. I offer her thoughts to help illustrate what...
Steps to redirect your child’s thinking habits to inspire confidence

Steps to redirect your child’s thinking habits to inspire confidence

by | Jan 8, 2019 | Anxiety, Boundaries, Bullying, Children & Teens Problems & Pitfalls, Children's Health & Mental Health, Children's mental health, Cyber Safety, Cyberbullying, Education, Faith, Family, Happiness, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parenting, Social Media, Suicide, Teenagers, Texting, Wisdom, Youth Suicide

One significant challenge for youth today is that they are born into a cyber-powered world that hypes negative reasoning. This is an intense environment which when unchecked can shape a personal view of the world; that it is never going to “feel safe.”  And this world...
How to manage age-appropriate use of screen time: Cyber rites of passage

How to manage age-appropriate use of screen time: Cyber rites of passage

by | Dec 11, 2018 | Boundaries, Children's Health & Mental Health, Discipline, Family, Mobile Phone Use and Children, Parent-child relationship, Parental Authority, Parenting, Wisdom

The advent of the internet and smart devices in daily life has advanced so quickly that our parenting culture has not had a chance to anticipate how naturally children adapt to and master every innovation. Studies are underway to measure and record the impact on...