I wish rude and polite behavior were simple button choices but as you know, they are not. Let me tell you a story.

Not too long after Mary and I got married, we were quietly standing in line together at the grocery store. Suddenly, in the distance we could hear them coming––what sounded like a pack of wild animals fighting to the death. What actually appeared was a mom and her three kids, all the kids were under the age of seven, who were arguing over what cereal to buy.

A box was being passed around between the two tallest children while the younger one screamed with hands stretched toward the heavens and feet rapidly pounding the floor.
Mom was pushing the basket leisurely around the corner while reading a food label on an item she had just taken from the shelf. She appeared unfazed by the volume and the antics.

She calmly placed the item she was holding into her basket and got in line behind us. The tantrum over the cereal box had moved on to claim new territory: the gum and candy display that the horrible people at the grocery store had so conveniently placed alongside the checkout line. Now the loud dispute centered around the choice of gum and quickly escalated into a situation involving at least one headlock. Mom, again apparently not fazed by the uproar, casually thumbed through a magazine.

Mary and I were stunned. It was at that moment in my married-with-no-children brain that I not only thought, but uttered the words

As parents we have a responsibility to our families to help them find time to pause. The easy part is telling our children to slow down, be mindful and find moments of rest. The difficult part is modeling it.

Helping our family find healthy balance does come at a price. If you have teens, the prices is, well, you know. Verbal pushback, possible complaints and a general sigh of “this is boring.” The reason why we need to “Know Family Rest” is so we “No Family Stress.”

Stress in Today’s Modern Family is much different from stress in previous times in two distinct ways. First, today’s stress has increased with our accelerated pace of life and  Second, our modern technology has reduced the

“Knock, knock…” No, it’s not a joke, it’s the way my social media worked when I was a kid!

Someone either knocked on the door or rang the door bell. Neither is the case these days. Our kids flock to social media sites to stay connected, build community, hang out and find out what’s going on in their world.

I have taken a few surveys, asked a few questions, and did a little poking around to see what and where our kids have landed with their social media. Please understand that this post is not meant to alarm or scare any parent into locking down their child’s phone, tablet or computer. There’s a difference between being aware and being worried. I want you to be aware.

When I speak on the topic of Faith and the Modern Family I often get asked this question. “Are most social media apps bad for our kids? My answer is no. That being said, here is another question to consider. Are there some social media apps that seem to draw a more inappropriate crowd discussing or soliciting inappropriate behavior and topics? The answer is yes. And, that’s what I want us to be aware of.

The 5 Social Media Sites Parents Should Know About (Alphabetically)

1. AskFM

Aware
A social site/app where anyone can ask anything they want or, answer anything they want, and remain anonymous.

Snare
The equation of a “child + asking whatever they want + wanting to remain anonymous = dangerous (My math). Questions can range from