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Welcome to the archive pages for the Parents' Tips area. This area contains archived resources and articles from the Parents' Tips area.
30-Second Internet Quiz for Parent Competence
Quick! Answer these five questions correctly, and you're halfway there to a safe Internet experience for the teens in your home.
- Are you taking the time to see what your teens are doing online and what their interests are?
- Do your kids know that they should never give out their personal information to people they meet online, especially in public places like chat rooms and bulletin boards?
- You DID instruct your teen never to plan to meet face-to-face with online acquaintances, right?
- Did you tell your teen NEVER to respond when they receive offensive or dangerous email, chat, or other communications?
- Are you subscribing to a filtered Internet service provider?
- Did you place the family computer in an open room so that you can check up on your teens when they are online?
If you answered yes…
Five times: You are one righteous parent!
Four times: We can't whine. Good job but you still could improve.
Three times: Uh… hello… Did you renew your Class A Parent License? :-)
Two times: You can do lot better. For the sake of your children, make changes quickly.
One time: You're kidding, right?
Self-control is Caught More Than Taught
Perhaps the greatest thing that you as a parent can do for your teenager is to say no. We are always trying to teach our kids to say no, but in truth it all begins with us. Here are some opportunities that you can implement today.
Prioritize your public and private life.
Ours is a busy, stressed-out society. Bosses are clawing at our calendars seeking to make financial goals or reach another summit of success. Even church work can pull you away from the home. Plan your day before your day plans you! We only have about 6 years to be with our teenagers at home. What an important opportunity to instill values! What a shame that we are so consumed with the day-to-day that we overlook our child's destinies.
Inspect your home's media outlets.
Shield your kids from cable networks such as USA, MTV, VH1, and Showtime. Rely solely on filtered Internet access. Teenagers usually have a keen understanding of hypocrisy within the home.
Strengthen your marriage.
Your teens need to see a vibrant marriage at work, otherwise they will grow up with a feeling of cynicism toward the whole concept of marriage. They will wonder why they should wait for lives of loneliness and isolation. Say yes to counseling if your marriage is in trouble. Don't let money issues stand in the way of investing in a strong marriage foundation.
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