Find info on your childrens health

I never really had an interest in disability aids, the reason being that I am only young and what teenager thinks of these sorts of things. Also I don’t need one just yet! But ever since my Dad had an accident, him only being young also, and needing a wheelchair, it hit me that not only is it elderly people who need help and assistance but anyone at any age can need to use disability equipment such as wheelchairs, walking frames and many others.

My Dad had an accident while at work as he did work on buildings and fell from a great height which damaged his back for life. He now has to use a wheelchair and can’t move around as easily as he could or would like to, him only being in his 40’s, he can’t do all the things he should be able to do at his age.

Although he may not be able to do ALL the things he wants to do he can still do a lot of things but if there wasn’t such thing as disability aids I don’t know if he would be able to do anything. Over the years his back has got a lot better than what it was and he no longer needs to stay in his wheelchair. He sometimes has enough strength to use crutches to help him get along.  He uses the crutches around the house but when he goes out he prefers to use his wheelchair as it can be very tiring walking round the shops using crutches and may cause more pain or problems for his back.

Seeing my Dad go from working everyday to having to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life had a big impact on my life, seeing as I thought disability aids were just for elderly people but now I realise things change so quickly and you never know when you may need this sort of help or assistance yourself, but if it wasn’t for wheelchairs and crutches my Dad wouldn’t be half as happy as he is today doing the things that he still can achieve instead of nothing at all.

Related posts

• Prevent Your Teenager From Becoming A Statistic (0)
• Get Dad Involved in Breastfeeding (0)
• To Circumcise Or Not To Circumcise (0)
• The secrets to improving kids’ behaviour (0)
• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)

Most parents at some stage are driven to distraction by one or more of their childrens annoying habits or behaviours, whether it is a toddler who continually whines, a school-aged child who leaves clothes lying around or a teenager who uses a less than pleasant vocabulary.

How to affect change is a challenge for many parents. Do you ignore a childs annoying behaviour or do you pick up on it? A useful rule of thumb is to pick up on behaviours that are dangerous to the child himself or significantly infringe on the rights and comfort of others.

Also ask yourself: Is this behaviour reasonable for the childs age? For instance, it is reasonable to expect an eight year old not to disturb you while you are on the phone for twenty minutes but it is not reasonable to expect the same of a two year old.

It is also useful to take into account the childs current state of mind and what is going in on their lives that may be related to some unusual behaviour to occur at home.

The following four principles for changing your childs behaviour will be effective if you are both patient and persistent.

Principle one: Change your initial response first. This is important because childrens behaviour generally requires a pay-off, which may be your attention or an attempt to defeat you. The most important principle about changing childrens behaviour is to change your own behaviour first.So if your child’ whines (a child’s version of water torture) to get his own way refrain from answering back or giving in.

Principle two: Practise with your child the behaviour that you want. The notion of behaviour rehearsal is fundamental to learning a new behaviour. Dont just tell kids what you expect, get them to practise the behaviour you want. In the example of a young whiner – get him to practise asking for help or a treat in a normal voice.

Principle three: Minimise the behaviour you dont want. That means when children continue their old behaviour despite your brilliant suggestions ignore it, sidestep it or implement a consequence but dont nag or harp on it. Remember it takes time often to change a behaviour, particularly if it has been happening for a long time.

Principle four: Spotlight the appropriate behaviour. When your children behave in the desired way show your sincere appreciation. We often take children for granted or rather we are trained to give children no attention when they are good, but plenty when they are less than perfect. The behaviours we focus on expand so we need to focus our attention on desirable behaviours more than on the negative behaviours. For our young whiner it is essential to make a fuss when he uses a normal voice to get what he wants.

Like any process it will only work if you stick to it and follow it through. And dont be afraid to adapt it to suit your circumstances. Remember, it is the fact that you have a plan rather than the nature of the plan that is most powerful in achieving a change in your childrens behaviour.

For practical ideas to make children’s irritating behaviours such as whining, nagging, tantrums and sibling fighting disappear read Michael Grose’s ground-breaking book – One Step Ahead. It is available at the shop at www.parentingideas.com.au

Michael Grose is Australia’s leading parenting educator. He is the author of six books and gives over 100 presentations a year and appears regularly on television, radio and in print. For further ideas to help you raise happy children and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au . While you are there subscribe to Happy Kids newsletter and receive a free report Seven ways to beat sibling rivalry.

Related posts

• Tired Of The Mess? Tips To Keep Your Child’s Room (0)
• Time Outs Help Reinforce Positive Behavior and Discourage Misbehaving (0)
• The Trouble With Parents (0)
• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• The keys to raising happy kids that Super Nanny doesn’t (0)

What I am about to tell you may save the life of your child. In today’s world the safety and well-being of your teenager depends on his awareness and knowledge of sex.
It is critical that you, as a responsible and loving parent address that issue in detail. Here are some key questions to broach the subject, to let your child know you care and want the best for him.

Recognize he may be reluctant to speak about something so personal with you if you are not accustomed to sharing feelings and intimate topics. You may feel embarrassed bringing up the subject.
Before you do, be sure you can answer these questions for yourself. Also, decide what you are comfortable sharing about your personal experiences and beliefs on the subject of teen sexuality and activity.

* To start, simply ask your teenager, “What kind of questions do you have or what do you want to know more about regarding sex?” You will certainly grab his attention.

* You may want to throw out some information he is unlikely to know, something like, “Do you know that the sex partners you choose can influence your vulnerability to certain types of cancer?”

The object here is to get your child talking-or at least willing to talk. He may tell you he knows everything he needs to know. Where do you go from there?

* Ask, “Do you know that sex is not the same thing as love?” Watch his face for acknowledgement, disagreement, or confusion. Follow up with, “Sex is physical while love is emotional”.

Listen to him. Pay attention to what he says and to the words he does not speak. Notice his body language, hear the underlying message, the words between the lines, his tone, word choice and pace. Note his emotions, eye contact, and whether he is at ease or trying to conceal any discomfort.

If you do observe that he is uncomfortable, tell him you noticed and ask if he wants to talk about what is bothering him. Assure him that you are not here to judge him.

Most important, let him know you are having this talk because you love him and no matter what he has done or is thinking about doing, he is safe talking with you. Tell him nothing can change your love for him.

And then go where he takes you. If he chooses to be silent, let him be silent. It is okay to have silence. You do not need to speak. He may be processing.

Give him the time and space he needs to do what he needs to do. He knows you are available when he wants to talk.

Facts are key. If he has unanswered questions, where can he go for accurate information? The streets, his friends, and the media may not be the best place to find what he seeks on the subject of sex.

* Be sure you ask your child, “Do you know that protection is not a 100% guarantee of health, safety or an absolute deterrent to pregnancy?” Be sure he knows the consequences of the actions he may or may not take.

* Follow-up with, “Do you want help or advice in obtaining protection?” That question is especially important for girls who may want to see a gynecologist and may not know how to find a good one who can take care of her needs.

If your teen uses the Internet, know that more than 61,000 searches were done in the month of April on phrases dealing with teen pornography. What pages is your child visiting? Ask. Know that if you impose your will he will go elsewhere to pursue his desires. Build trust with your teenager.

The purpose in having this talk is education. I do not, in any way, shape, or form, advocate teen sex. However, statistics show that youngsters as young as 13 engage in sexual activity. Have the talk now.

When hormones and peer pressure kick in, a wise and educated youngster, who has previously given thought to and made decisions about his actions, has a better chance of living the life he wants than one who has not prepared himself for the inevitable emotions and situations that will come up in life.

Actions and results, desirable and undesirable, reflect self esteem. To change behaviors, treat the cause not just the symptoms.

What is the cost, to you and to him, of not knowing where your teenager stands on sex?

Related posts

• Teenage Anger. Parenting Tips (0)
• Actively Listening to your Child (0)
• The Courage to Be a Loving Parent (0)
• Problem Solving And Conflict Resolution For Children (0)
• Introducing Children To Music Strategies For Success (0)

Adolescence is really a time of so many changes. And one of those is that teenagers are seeking to identify who they are as an individual. And a part of that process involves risk taking.

So, the first thing we need to realize is that risk taking is normal at that stage. However, risk taking can be positive such as trying out new sports or creative activities. Or they may be negative and these are the ones we see, notice and really worry about.

And these things may be a risk to their health. You know things like using drugs or alcohol, unprotected sex, staying out late at night and thinking Oh nothing will happen to me, or maybe even staying out all night.

Although a teenager may have the body of an adult its recently been proven that their brain is not fully developed until they’re in their early to mid twenties. I think its about the age of twenty-four in most young people.

So, they dont rationalize what they’re doing. And they have this sense of, this incredible sense of instability with the belief that they wont die until they’re old.

So, parents need to first need to first of all have a look at their risk taking behaviors. Remember , teenagers are always watching you and imitating you. We have to remember that drugs include things like alcohol. And a lot of parents forget that and that they’re modeling risk taking behavior.
Ill give you an example. Jared came to me and he was worried when he found out that his son was going off to the park with his friends and drinking alcohol almost every night. They were just sitting in the park and chatting but also drinking alcohol and sometimes coming home intoxicated.

So, after some discussion with Jared in one of our sessions I found out for years that every day when Jared comes home from work his wife gives him a whisky to relax. And thats how its described. I just have a whisky to relax after my long day at work.

So, we had a long hard talk about this. And the next day after work Jared sat with his son and said to him, “Hey Ive realized that Ive developed a really, really bad habit. Im having a drink every day and Ive decided Im stopping straight away. I really dont need to drink to relax and Ive got myself into this habit”

So, what Jared had done there was hed shown his son that he wasnt infallible and that he was able to correct what he was doing. He also showed him “Hey son, I mess up sometimes too but Im able to look at it and change what Im doing. I dont have to just stay on that same pathway.”

So, rather than be judgmental of his son he was able to say, “Learn from me son. Dont develop a bad habit that may be hard to stop.”

Teenagers are learning from us all the time, learning bad habits and learning good habits. You know teenagers generally look to their parents for advice, modeling and how to assess risks. So, communications got to be open and without ordering or judgment. So that teens are going to listen and learn how to assess risks.

Because lets face it, there are risks in everything we do whether its just getting into a car. When I get into my car to drive to work thats a risk. Its a risk that I assess just the same as getting into a car with a group of teenagers. That would certainly be a different risk assessment for me.

And what you need to be showing them is that there are a variety of consequences for every risk you take. And some risks are okay because they’re not going to generally result in serious injury to your health.

You know most smoking, drinking and taking drugs takes place in a peer group. So, one of the most important things is that you’re encouraging your kids to bring their friends home so that you can see what they’re doing, and so that you know their friends. This is why its so important for your kids to have a good group of friends who are healthy role models.

They also need to have a good level of self-esteem. Because this gives them the confidence that when they are in a situation of peer pressure that they’re able to say NO when they really want to.

However all of these behaviors can escalate and this is when I sometimes get to see “at risk teens”. When unhealthy risk taking falls into a pattern and its no longer something that you can work through with open communication in the family you need assistance.

Dangerous teenage risk taking, especially when its frequent and it includes a number of behaviors all at once, like drinking, driving recklessly, excessive dieting is a warning sign. Excessive dieting is risk taking behavior or it could be more obvious like self mutilation, stealing. These are often accompanied by depression and falling of grades at school. This is the time that you need to urgently talk to the school, find out whats happening there. Then see your doctor as soon as possible to discuss your fears. Your doctor will most likely refer your teen to a psychologist.

However, youll have serious problems getting them there if you havent kept the communication lines open. You need to be able to talk to them in terms of feelings. “You look like you’re feeling really down today.” ” I can see you’re not really happy.”

So, unless youve got communication lines open or if youve been openly angry with them and judgmental, you will not get them to see a psychologist, not effectively. A lot of kids can go in and see a psychologist and “play the game” and give all the right answers, but to have them really listen and benefit you need to have had open conversation occurring at home.

Its very distressing because Ive seen excessive risktaking escalate into suicide. So its very important that parents dont push the kids away at this time. Its not the time for ordering or issuing out ultimatums. Because if you do you might drive your teen into running away, and therefore you will have no influence at all. You will not be able to help.

Remember its better to know what your teens are doing (even though you don’t approve) and be able to talk to them about it and get them help. Its definately not an easy job, being the parent of a teen. The most important rules for you the parent are 1.stay connected with your teen 2.keep the communication lines open 3.ensure that your child knows they are loved 4. that they are appreciated and valued for who they are not what they do or achieve.

Its a very difficult time. But unfortunately around the world things like teen suicide are realities. Sometimes we dont see the warning signs and we dont push them to suicide but we do push them away from us by being judgmental and by the language we use eg. you should have, you ought to, its your fault. let me tell you what happened to me. Well let me assure you thats not the way to talk to your teen if you want to remain connected and have open communication.

Using language like, “It sounds like you’re very frustrated” “you know you’re really frustrated by the class change, is that right?” “Its your choice. What can I do to help you.” “Oh you are so competent. You make me so happy when you…”

So, you can see the difference in the language examples in the last 2 paragraphs!. And believe me straight away you get a different response from your teen!

Related posts

• Parenting Tips Teenage Risktaking (0)
• Toddler Skills for Personal Responsibility (0)
• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• Teenage Anger. Parenting Tips (0)
• Teaching Your Teen Good Money Management (0)

I am commonly asked questions like “Why is my teenager always angry with me?” Parents DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY! Teenagers are generally not angry with you they are just plain angry. This anger can vary from resentment right through to actual rage. What you are seeing is not the anger itself but a behavior.

The emotion is the anger, but what we see is the reaction to the anger that is the behavior.

Some Teens withdraw and repress their anger whilst others may become violent and destroy property or physically aggressive to other people.

You, the adult need to understand that teenage anger is an emotion not a behavior. So, the teen doesn’t have to act out their behaviors in the way they do. The anger is frequently triggered by something going on in their life and this may be as simple as being unable to do a math problem. They may get up and walk along the corridor and punch the wall or kick a trash can, but they are NOT ANGRY WITH YOU.

This anger is usually with themselves and some perceived inadequacy. They are fearful and in this case it is the fear of failure. Your teen is on an emotional roller coaster dealing with issues of identity, relationships, the future, and all their hormones are going crazy at the same time. Understand this and you are able to accept that when your teen is angry it is generally not aimed at you. Regularly your teen is frustrated and angry with themselves. It’s really important that you the parent, don’t react to the teen with your own anger – because this just sets up a pattern of reactive behavior from parent to teen, going back and forth and ultimately achieving nothing positive. This is the time that people say things that they don’t mean and the situation gets out of control. In this situation it is essential to remember you are the adult, so stop reacting. You need to focus on what your teen is feeling, and this is a way of defusing their anger. At this time your teen needs some acknowledgement of their feelings. So what I want you to do when this occurs is respond starting with the word “you”. It is very easy for us to fall into the pattern of “I can’t stand it when you.. ” , “I told you to…”. These are both statements in which you are responding with anger, so i want you to focus on them and their needs and commence with “you”. For example, “you sound really frustrated”, “you seem really distressed” or “you seem really angry today”. We all know how much better we feel when someone else acknowledges our feelings. “You’re really sad today”. After you have acknowledged their feelings it is important that you let go of the situation and at another time when the teen is not highly emotive address the issues. For example; ask them if they had any warning signs that they were getting angry and could soon lose self control. Often before a teen (or adult for that matter) loses control and the anger escalated into something quite ferocious, they usually find that they are clenching their fists, shaking their legs, tapping their foot or possibly they develop sweaty palms. of course each person has a different sign. If your teen acknowledges for instance that they get sweaty palms just prior to an angry outburst you can assist them in finding a less destructive activity to do when their palms sweat. Relieving the pent up emotion for example with a run around the block, a swim, a shower, reciting a poem etc. They can now identify when their anger is escalating from the emotion into an unacceptable behavior. To learn more about coping or communicating with your teen visit http://www.inspireuonline.com/ or directly ask Fiona a question go to http://www.justaskfiona.com/

Related posts

• Parenting Tips Teenage Risktaking (0)
• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• Teens And Sex — 5 Must Ask Questions (0)
• Teenage Risk Taking (0)
• Teaching Your Teen Good Money Management (0)

Okay, you want your teenager to be more responsible with money. Do you remember when you were a teenager? Did you act responsibly with your money? What were some of the things your parents did to teach you about handling your money better?

In this article we will discuss some of the ways you can teach your teen to be responsible when it comes to both money and credit. We will discuss several options in regards to credit and cash management for teenagers.

Many of us, even as adults, dont really know a lot about money management. This article may also help you as an adult manage your money and credit better. First lets discuss goal setting. Why do you need to manage your money? What are you trying to accomplish?

The first thing you can introduce your teen to and maybe even yourself to do, is tracking where your money goes. How many times have you asked, Where did I spend all that money? If you have ever asked that then tracking your money can give you great insight into managing your budget better.

There are workbooks you can buy or you can use a simple notebook. Have your teen do this with you so you can both learn together. If you make it a family experience, your teen is more likely to pay attention and participate, because they will get to see how you manage your money too. It has the extra benefit of making you manage your money better to set a good example.

In this new workbook you and your teen write down every expense. Every time you or they spend money on ANYTHING, it gets written down. Not in a category, what was actually paid for with the money. You will be able to review this later when building categories like, Items I could have done without.

When you review your workbooks together, trade them. Each of you can mark what expenses the other probably should not have paid out and how much money you could each have saved if you didnt make those extra expenditures.

It isnt a bad idea for you to make a couple of mistakes on purpose so your teen gains confidence that they can handle their money and identify what expenditures were not necessary. You need to understand that the spending habits your teenager acquires in their teens will stay with them for the rest of their life.

An allowance is okay, but just until they get a job. Never make the allowance enough to get the things they want most. Make them learn to save their money up to buy those things. Once they do have even a part-time job, no more allowance. They will respect the money they earn a lot more than the money you give them.

When your teenager is around 16 and has a job, help them open their own checking account. Teach them how to balance their checkbook. If you have been doing the workbook with them, this should be easy. You can help them get a prepaid credit card or teach them how to use the debit card that comes with their new checking account responsibly.

Again, if you two have been doing your workbook and marking down everything you spend money on, managing a debit card will be easy. Also by continuing to do the workbook, you will both learn how to save more money because you will be more aware of where your money gets wasted.

We all want to help our teens and we want to buy them nice things, but as parents we also need to teach them responsibility. Nowhere is that more important than teaching them to be responsible with money and credit.

Buy them the necessities, but make them pay for the extras. That applies to clothing, school supplies, or anything else, especially where your teenager decides they want the better, more expensive version of the items in question. Let them pay for the extras and they will appreciate their money much more or will learn to do without the most expensive item.

If you help them with the purchase of a car, offer to match them dollar for dollar toward the car. If you do plan to buy the car for them, make them responsible for the payment of the insurance, gas, and other extras. That will also have the added benefit of teaching them to respect and take care of their automobile.

I hope this article has given you some ideas about how to teach your teen how to handle credit and money. Just to repeat one thing, remember that what you teach your teen about money and credit now will determine how successful they will be later in life. So take the time to teach them.

Related posts

• Let the Teens Manage Their Money (0)
• Tired Of The Mess? Tips To Keep Your Child’s Room (0)
• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• Teenage Risk Taking (0)
• Teenage Anger. Parenting Tips (0)

The Importance of Crystal-Clear Rules for your Child
The world is a far more scary and complicated place than it was when you were a child. As a result, it’s imperative that you set adequate yet fair boundaries with your child. It’s a very important role in your parenting responsibilities. Children must make difficult decisions each day, and if they don’t have clear, firm boundaries set, they may not always make the wisest choice. Limits teach children proper restraint in social and individual activities and provide children with necessary structure and security to assist in healthy development. Setting limits also provide children with guidance before they have an opportunity to get into trouble, thus making them more successful with everyday life.
A child’s age and developmental level needs to be considered when setting limits. All children have a need for independence and individualization; however, they also need structure, security and parental involvement. It goes without saying that the needs of a 2-year old vary greatly than those of a teenager. A toddler has a strong desire to explore and investigate, but parameters need to be set to ensure their safety while doing so. Teenagers need to be able to be an individual and be independent, but with strong parental guidance and influence, are more likely to make smart choices in difficult situations.
Limits should be discussed and set prior to the situation. Though situations arise that weren’t planned on, daily situations should have set limits and expectations. A teenager who breaks curfew may have the privilege of going out with friends revoked until they learn respect for the rules. A child who misbehaves while playing with a friend may need to be separated from the fun until they can learn to properly behave.
Children respond in a positive manner in an environment in which they know what to expect and what is excepted of them. A child will be more respectful towards rules and more willing to abide by them if the rules are clear and consistent. Additionally, it’s crucial that once a limit is set that they caregiver stick to it. A child is less likely to try and manipulate a caregiver into changing the limits when their experience has been that there’s no bending on the limits. And remember, you are the one who sets the limits and lays down the law. There’s no need to argue with your child. Be firm and consistent and they are less likely to challenge the rules and will accept the consequences.

Related posts

• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• Bringing Up A Baby Balancing Discipline And Love (0)
• The Four Parenting Styles (0)
• Teenage Risk Taking (0)
• Teenage Anger. Parenting Tips (0)

We all know as parents that discussing and negotiating the rules with our children is never easy. Children are all very different, and what might need to be a rule for one, may not even be an issue for another. That being said, there are many parameters that we set as parents that are the hard and fast rules – those with no ‘wiggle room.’ Those are the rules set forth to protect our child’s health, safety and well-being. These rules and their consequences should be very clearly defined and it should be understood by all involved that they are there for a very important reason and that they are ‘all or nothing.’

Rules that keep our children safe are of the utmost importance. These could include everything from teaching youngsters not to touch the hot stove to teaching your school aged child the importance of obeying the laws while riding their bicycle. Children need to understand these rules are to be followed to the letter and there is no room for negotiation here.

For adolescents and teenagers, such rules should include expectations about drinking, the use of illegal drugs, or safe defensive driving. These rules are also imperative to a child’s health, well-being and safety. There should be no room for experimentation or relaxing the rules in specific social situations.

There are rules that can be fairly and equitably negotiated with your children as well. Rules regarding how many hours per week can be spent on video game playing, what time a child is expected home for dinner, what time each night homework is to be completed, or how late a teenager is allowed to stay out on weekend nights are all rules that can be discussed openly and honestly between you and your child. These should also be consistent, however. Don’t’ allow 11 p.m. one weekend night and then tell your teenager 9:30 the following weekend night when going out with the same group of friends. If your teenager broke the 11 p.m. curfew the weekend before, the consequence of losing the privilege of going out that weekend should be strictly enforced. Don’t bend the rule just because your teenager seems genuinely sorry and promises never to do it again. Consequences should be consistent, fair, and always followed through.

Related posts

• Clear Expectations Make Discipline Easier (0)
• Chores Can Help your Child Learn about Teamwork and a (0)
• “Because” Just Isn’t the Answer (0)
• The Importance of Crystal-Clear Rules for your Child (0)
• Teenage Risk Taking (0)

Parents please don’t be naive in thinking that your teenager is not having sex, the majority of teenagers are. We have to better educate our children on the risks of unprotected sex. This task may sound embarrassing for both you and your teenager but it must be done. Schools only scrape the surface when discussing unprotected sex, stating that they can catch STD’s and fall pregnant; where they fail is by not shocking our teenagers with the realities of these subjects. We as parents will have to do this.

Teenagers think that “it can’t happen to me because my boyfriend/girlfriend is clean, they have only had a couple of partners”. You need to give your teenager a reality check, so they KNOW that it can happen to them. Inform them that every time they have unprotected sex with just one partner, that they are potentially having sex with a thousand! Then explain that their partner may have only had sex with five people, then that five have all had sex with five people, then that twenty five have all had sex with five people and so forth! Also explain that it only takes one person in that link to have an STD to pass it on to everyone else after them in the chain.

Explain to them fully that there are more STD’s than just the killers like AIDS and HEP. Tell them about diseases like Chlamydia that won’t kill them, rather make them seriously ill and make them infertile; so that when they decide to settle down and have a family, it won’t happen because they were thought their boyfriend was ‘clean’! Tell them about genital warts, and the horrible and embarrassing process to have them removed! Petrify your teenager, MAKE them wear a condom!

Then most importantly you have to remove the glamour from teenage pregnancy. Inform that the majority of teenage mothers are single, unemployed and poorly educated. Then let them know about the sleepless nights, the constant 24/7 attention that a baby needs. Not being able to go out with their friends, tell them they would have to kiss their social life goodbye. Again petrify your teenager and MAKE them wear a condom.

My final advise is to make condoms readily available to your teenager, if you cannot bring yourself to do this have a friend or relative do this for you, make sure that they don’t live too far away though. Don’t count the condoms that they take, as this might scare them into not taking any at all! Remember that they will give them to their friends who don’t have access and bear in mind that they are young and inexperienced; it might take a few condoms just to get one on!

Related posts

• The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child (0)
• Teenage Risk Taking (0)
• Teenage Anger. Parenting Tips (0)
• Teaching Your Teen Good Money Management (0)
• Parenting Tips Teenage Risktaking (0)

Parents It Is Your Job To Keep Your Child Safe Online

We all have different ways with dealing with government. Many people think it is the governments job to take care of us in many ways and others think that the government should stay out of our private lives and let us sink or swim as we may.

In no area is this more contested than with our children. The government oversees how our children are educated. In low-income families the government sees to it the children are fed and clothed. When it comes to abusive parents the government steps in and removes the child placing the childs safety over the right of the parents to keep their child.

However, the government cannot protect your child or teenager while they surf the Internet and browse through the various websites and chatrooms available there. Why? Because the Internet is international. No one government can police the Internet.

This makes some parents unhappy because they are used to the government doing everything for them and consider it their right to do so as American Citizens and because they are used to it.

Many parents for years used the television to baby-sit their children. At least with the television they knew that pornography and other inappropriate content was not landing on their childs TV screen. Now that babysitting job has been turned over to the computer and many parents will not or cannot monitor their childs activities while on the Internet.

The NCMEC says that one in five children are solicited for sex online. While I am not sure how accurate their statistics are, I do know that their are child sex predators out there and that there is a lot of opportunity to communicate with children over the Internet.

There are spammers who send pornographic content out indiscriminately to all of the email addresses they can find which means it is not difficult to imagine this content finding its way into your child’s email.

There are people who will try to trick you into giving out private information over the Internet through email and through websites. It is very easy to accidentally click into a website with inappropriate content.

At the same time, teenagers and children alike are curious and you do not always know what they choose to expose themselves to. But as a parent you need to know. it is your job to make sure that your child is safe online.

It is not the government’s job. It is not the job of the owners of various websites. it is your job as a parent to be sure your child is safe online. There are plenty of ways to do this.

1. Put the computer in a common area the same as you do with your television. This makes it easy to monitor what is happening online and discourages your children or teens to participate in risky behavior. It also discourages predators from talking with your child if they know there are people around.

2. Get software that monitors your child or teenager while they are on the computer. This software will block inappropriate content from appearing on your childs monitor. It will also let you view logs that show where your child has been on the Internet. It will monitor what they say in chatrooms and email. It will let you set timers that take a picture or screen capture at those times so you can actually see what they viewed online. You can even set up alerts to notify you by cellphone or email when your child accesses inappropriate content. You can download monitoring software here at this website, http://www.onlinesafetyshield.com

3. You can talk with your children and explain to them the dangers of giving out private information over the Internet, surfing the wrong kind of websites, or engaging in risky behavior and what to do about it if they have a problem. By communicating with your child they know they can always come to you if there is a problem.

Parents please keep in mind that it is you that has the awesome responsibility of keeping your child safe on the Internet. Do not leave it up to others to decide what is or is not appropriate for your child.

Related posts

• Monitoring Your Childs Computer For Their Safety (0)
• Parental Control – You (0)
• Keep Kids Safe Online: Child Pornography (0)
• How You Handle Your Childs Development Now Will Be With (0)
• The secrets to improving kids’ behaviour (0)