,

6 Digital Boundaries To Protect Your Child Online

,

Due to inappropriate use of media by children while on campus, a middle school principal sent the following email to the parents of the school children because he wanted to encourage parents to check their child’s media access:

Dear Parents,
I am sending this out to all of you to make you aware of an issue that is becoming more of a concern in all middle schools. Since our return from winter break we have had multiple issues concerning social networking that I want you to be aware of including: students posting images of other students, writing inappropriate comments, posting videos, bullying, etc. These all have an effect on student safety. I am asking all of our parents for support in this matter by taking a few minutes this weekend to have a conversation with your child about social networking and their use of it.

That’s good advice!

The days of parents just needing to check their children’s email or Facebook page are over; there are new social sites created every day. I loudly echo what a friend wrote

, ,

How To “Buy Time” With Your Family

, ,

I like what author Tim Ferris says, "I think time management as a label encourages people to view each 24-hour period as a slot in which they should pack as much as possible." But what if we want more time? Can we get it? Can we buy it? Walk with me for a minute...

Do you like a good sale? You know, the “take 50 percent off the already low price” kind of a sale! You get quality merchandise at a great value. I guess if I have one complaint about such a sale is that they usually don’t last. If you don’t make time now––while the sale is on––then you will have missed a great opportunity.

We are reminded to take advantage of a good sale or good opportunity in the Bible. It’s true! Ephesians 5:15-17 talks all about it:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity

The Greatest Family Invention Ever!

The Digital Calendar! Yes, that’s it, that’s the answer. Let me tell you why.

If you want to spend time together as a family you need to get it on the calendar because it won’t happen by accident. Rarely do families drift into uninterrupted time together, it must be intentional. If you have more than one child and they are over the age of 10 then you have a dilemma. “How do I get everyone on the same “calendar” page?” Easy, go digital!

 

I have seen (and used) everything used from a piece of paper on the refrigerator–one piece of paper for each person in the family–to a digital calendar kept in the cloud and maintained by each family member on his or her own smart phone. The later is the best place for a family calendar!

Here Are 5 Reasons To Put Your Calendar In The Cloud

How To Spend Uninterrupted Family Time Together

When our kids were in elementary school I would have the privilege of dropping them off and picking them up and, each day, I would experience organized chaos. For those of you who do a little dropping off and picking up yourself, you know what I am talking about.

From my general observation of all the parents who pick up their kids, myself included, I find that the parents fall into one of three types: Parents who watch life happen, parents who let life happen, and parents who make life happen. To be honest, no one type is better than the others––there isn’t a right or a wrong way to respond, we’re all just different. Let me explain.

1. Parents Who Watch Life Happen
These parents pick up their kids and pull over. They sit, watch and wait until all traffic has cleared. It’s not that they don’t have a desire to move; they just don’t

7 Ways To Simplify Life

We live in a world of bigger, better, faster, stronger. Some would even add “excessive,” and while I don’t believe there is anything wrong with having nice things or many nice things, generally speaking more stuff equals more stress. I’m sure each of us could use a little simplicity in our family life.

Picture a life less complicated, crazy and chaotic. Picture your family life with less calendar clutter, over activity and noise. Now, breathe in, breathe out, wax on, wax off.

Pardon the phrase here, but simple math would tell you that the more you have, the more you will maintain. If you were to Google “simplify life,” a long list of sites would appear, and those wouldn’t necessarily include the books, blogs, magazines and movies––all geared to help you live life simply.

“This desire to simply simplify is “generally known as ‘voluntary simplicity,’ or the ‘simplicity movement,’ the need many

Are You Living Life End To End Or And To And

Modern culture allows us to live in a way that keeps us not only physically busy but mentally and emotionally busy as well. I can remember growing up playing three different sports because each sport had its own season. There was a beginning to the season and an end. Today there is often a beginning, but rarely is there an end to any sport or activity.

When I was a child life offered us fewer choices. I had one video game: Pong. That was the extent of my video game choice. I couldn’t play my video game with friends from another country or even from around the corner. To me, the world was big and slow. As parents you and I were, in some ways, forced to live life end to end. Take a look at what could have been a typical parent schedule

How To No Your Family Boundaries

No, it’s not a typo in the title. “No’ing” where your boundaries are as a family most often consists of setting limits. Setting limits in today’s modern world of too many choices usually involves saying that little word “no.” A family boundary is something you set that indicates a healthy limit for your family.

Here are a few questions that represent the myriad of activities common to most families. Discuss these questions with your family and work on coming up with some healthy family boundaries:

  • How many sports can your child (or children)be involved in at one time?
  • How many times should your family have dinner together each week?
  • How much homework is appropriate each school day?
  • How many outside activities can your child (or children) be involved in at one time?
  • What time should I, as a parent, be home from work?
  • How much TV time is allowed each day?
  • How much computer or phone time is appropriate each day?

Feeding children a healthy life pace most definitely requires