Kids and Technology Archives - The Mom Initiative

Tips for Summer Trips and Technology

Somewhere between the first thousand miles and the second, I realized tech could ruin our togetherness. While it didn’t qualify as “vacation,” our travel across America was much needed time with our son before he spread his wings in college. We mapped out our route, activities, and low-budget accommodations, but failed to anticipate one hazard of family travel today: technology. What do we do with summer trips and technology when we travel? Whether you use iPads for little travelers or iPods for bigger riders, technology can be dangerous. If we let it take us for a ride instead of managing it …

What No Mom Wants to Talk About

Don’t TV stations do a great job of pulling you to a must see show? I had seen the ads for Tyra and knew it was one I didn’t want to miss. In her very frank way, the talk show host was dragging all “private” issues out in the open as she interviewed a panel of teen girls. The topic: sexting. The surprise guests: their mothers. Wow were they surprised as these moms heard their thirteen, fourteen and fifteen-year-old girls talk freely of the explicit language and NUDE pictures they regularly exchange with their friends. The shock on the mothers’ faces proved they had …

Connecting or Disconnecting Because of Technology & a GIVEAWAY?

Today, we have a treat for you! A giveaway of GARY CHAPMAN’s and ARLENE PELLICANE’s new book, GROWING UP SOCIAL! Arlene is a guest who has shared here at The M.O.M. Initiative several times and I love her heart to minister to women! Today’s post is an adaptation from Growing Up Social and Arlene has graciously offered to give away a copy! SOOOOO… be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win. Winner will be announced in Sunday’s post. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – …

Technology & your child’s brain development

Our kids will never know what it is to live in an unwired world. We’ve moved from the technology of the light bulb to the microwave, to the CD player, to the answering machine, and now to the mobile phone. Just doing homework research opens Pandora ’s Box of distractions like YouTube and Facebook, for starters. Today, moms find it hard to imagine what kind of tech will be commonplace to our kids when they grow up. Some parents feel overwhelmed by the waves of change and try to shut out the digital invasion. When adults check out, kids miss …

Help, I Want My iPad Back!

By Guest: Arlene Pellicane If you have an iPad and kids, you have probably uttered these words to your son or daughter, “Give my iPad back!” Whether it’s an iPad, a different tablet, or a smart phone, you have probably struggled about your child’s growing use of technology. I recently had lunch with a grandmother named Sally who was lamenting the loss of quality time with her teenage grandson. She and her grandson were very close during elementary school. Peter was always talkative and social with his grandpa rents and others. Peter’s grandmother was very much a part …

Part 3: Kids & Cell Phones – the WHAT and WHERE

Part 1: Kids & Cell Phones – the WHY Part 2: Kids & Cell Phones – the WHEN and HOW Part 3: Kids & Cell Phones – the WHAT and WHERE Several years ago, during a Faculty-Student Home Worship, I realized that our ten student advisees were not particularly engaged in the discussion my husband was leading. At first, I thought perhaps they were a bit shy, as it was early in the school year and we were all starting to get to know each other. But I found out later where their attention had been: texting their friends …

eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHEN and HOW

Subscribe today for your FREE copy of… FACING YOUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHEN and HOW Re-Viewing WHY Before we discuss the WHEN and HOW, though, I want to touch on one WHY that we didn’t discuss last time: emergencies. Many parents give their children cell phones so they can communicate in the event of a crisis. A few examples of how such proactive planning may not always succeed: When we still lived in southern California, we experienced a strong earthquake. …

eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHY

Subscribe today for your FREE copy of… FACING YOUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHY I couldn’t wait to see Annemarie’s face as she opened her final 8th grade graduation gift. The video camera was rolling and my husband was strategically positioned to catch close up photos. “You have to guess what it is before you can open it!” I said, handing Annemarie a simple gift bag. When the bag began ringing and vibrating, she almost dropped it in surprise. Shock and comprehension …

eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: See Mommy Text & Day 6 Giveaways

Today’s Great Giveaways! 3 CD Set, Let’s Get PURSE-onal!, Personality Puzzle for Parents of Preschoolers, and Raising a Reader By: Cheri Gregory In these 3 power-packed CDs, Cheri not only helps moms be better moms by understanding themselves but she also shares the primary goal and two major needs of each Personality type so moms can understand and relate to their children better. She also presents 2 parenting DOs and 2 parenting DON’Ts for each one personality type. And in Raising a Reader, Cheri helps moms develop a love for reading in their children. Just Enough Light for the Step I’m …

eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Questions About Kids and Technology

I first heard the term “Generation M” while reading the 2006 Time magazine article “The Multitasking Generation.” The explosion in technology, I soon discovered, brought with it dozens–even hundreds!–of new questions I needed to be asking as a parent. It’s easy to mistake kids’ technological sophistication for maturity. Parents and teachers often back way off because they feel like kids are so far ahead of them. But kids have no idea the kind of firepower they’re playing around with. Adult guidance and wisdom are not obsolete. Kids need us now more than ever. As part of an ongoing series called “eBabies …