Good Education Helps Teens Be Productive

July 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Distance education

Image by mcwetboy via Flickr

It can be a challenging time for parents: your “baby” is all grown up and just graduated high school, but isn’t quite ready to dive into university life. You’re afraid that the time off will inevitably lead to no higher education. Before your teen discards her college plans, sit down and talk about an online college. There are many ways online colleges can help her move toward her degree while still feeling in control of her time, life, and future.

Online colleges allow students to start when they are ready. Most classes have pre-taped lectures that students can plug into at their leisure. Online courses are flexible, allowing your teen to work on coursework at his own pace. There are a wide variety of programs online, some that may not be available at a nearby university. These are points you can use to entice your teen into considering an online bachelor degree, although taking online courses is not the easy avenue he may be imagining.

Online coursework is demanding and does require diligence and commitment. While it’s flexible and relaxed, students do have deadlines for coursework, exams and finals just as they would at any brick and mortar institution. Procrastination will still lead to cramming and panicking as deadlines approach. If you’re concerned that your teen will become a bum and live at home for the rest of his life, discuss online courses and degrees with him today.

 

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources, Teens Tagged With: , ,

Helping Teens Cope When Moving

June 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Moving is stressful for most people. A family uprooting itself to move out of the city or state can cause a lot of emotions and anxiety. For the teen involved in this process, it’s even more difficult. Going through the teen years is hard enough and having to start over can be very tough. Here are some tips to help your teen cope with the transition.

First, you must understand that at such an emotionally fragile time in their lives, they’re going to grieve the losses they’ll experience when they move. Allowing them to spend those remaining days with their friends and to express their sadness after arriving at their new home will help them process the emotion and move forward. Encourage them to stay in touch with friends from their old neighborhood. They can still be an important part of your teen’s life across the miles.

Upon arriving in the new place, you might be busy finding HOA management for your new home or your old home which you might be selling. However, make sure you take the time to engage your teen. They may be feeling alone. It’s up to you to help bridge the gap of their loneliness by taking them out and keeping them active. The more you learn about your new town the more comfortable everyone will feel. Encourage your teens to go out and interact with other kids their own age. The quicker they get comfortable, the better.

Moving is stressful for teens. They’ll need you for support. Give them attention without overwhelming them and with time, they’ll adapt to their new surroundings.

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources Tagged With: , ,

Talking with your Children about Divorce

June 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Divorce can be difficult for all members of a family. In particular, this challenging process can overwhelm or confuse children. When planning for divorce it is always best to think about how you plan to tell your children about it.

In many cases, couples have planed or thought about many aspects to the divorce before they proceed. This planning should also include how you want to talk to your child about the divorce, what a divorce will mean for them, and how you plan to approach parenting during and after the divorce.

Children can be overwhelmed or feel confused during this process. It is important for parents to consider how they will approach parenting, custody issues, and child support before they talk to their children about this process.

Additional aspects include discussing custody, what this means for the child, how they might feel about this, and how to help them through this. Also, have a plan for approaching decisions on the children’s future such as addressing behavior problems, educational decisions, financial decisions, and changes in either parent’s future.

Child support and child custody laws can change from state to state. You should be familiar with these and plan how you want to discuss how they affect your child. Florida child support laws are just one example of how these laws can be specific to each state.

When planning a divorce, it is best to discuss and prepare for talking with your children about the life changing event. Address the children’s concerns, resources they may need to help guide them through this process, and discuss how this will affect them.

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources Tagged With: , ,

The Bullies Have Entered the House: How to Detect Cyberbullying

February 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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Bullies are a kid’s worst nightmare. Imagine going to school every day afraid someone bigger than you will push you around and call you names. You may have even experienced bullying yourself as a kid. Everyone knows it’s not fun. Today, though, the situation can be even worse. Kids aren’t just being bullied at school; they’re being bullied at home on the Internet. Now it’s inescapable. If you know your child is being cyberbullied, there are steps you can take to combat it. But what if you don’t know? The following list explains ways to detect if your child is being cyberbullied.

  • Examine your child’s technology habits. If your child isn’t using the Internet or his or her cell phone as often as usual, that may be a sign of a problem.
  • Examine your child’s mood. Is your child acting strangely? Has he or she been experiencing extreme changes in mood or losing interest in everyday activities? Children are moody in general, but moodiness mixed with technology can pertain to cyberbullying.
  • Watch for secretive behavior. Hiding cell phone conversations or being jumpy about being near people while on the computer may mean your child is hiding something. If he or she gets angry when interrupted online or on the phone and there is no clear explanation as to why, the answer could be cyberbullying.

The best thing to do is have a conversation with your child. Learn about his or her life; ask about school and friends. Most kids aren’t great at hiding their emotions; you should be able to tell if something seems off about your child’s behavior. Once you’ve detected a cyberbullying problem, it’s time to take subsequent steps to allay situation.

Filed Under: Resources, Social Networks, Teens Tagged With: , ,

The Benefits of Filing Taxes via the Internet

January 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

There comes a time of the year when we all face the same dilemma. Although not a holiday, the day we all have to file our taxes comes at the same time every year. The Internet has made filing taxes easier. In fact, you can efile taxes with the IRS and there are many benefits to doing this. This is an alternative to the traditional paper filing method and it can often be done for free.

Aside from not costing anything, other benefits when you efile taxes include the ability to use software that guides you step-by-step through the tax filing process. It can organize complicated thoughts and also simplify state and federal laws. Another benefit is that you can save a lot of time. By doing taxes online, there is no need to wait in post office lines or spend time getting in touch with an accountant or even wait for an appointment.

Anyone can efile taxes, from individuals to businesses, and better yet, it is possible to check the status of a refund on the IRS website. If the taxes are efiled, then you can begin getting information on it as soon as 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your tax return, while with a paper return, it can take three to four weeks. The process is secure too, because the IRS will not send out emails, so if you get an email about tax refunds, then it is definitely a scam. Just delete it and everything will be fine.

You can efile taxes through various other companies. These services are offered online in various forms, from simple services to combined federal and state tax handling, all for just a few dollars. There is no doubt either way you choose to go that filing taxes has gotten easier, and safer.

Filed Under: Economy, Internet, Resources Tagged With: , , ,

Download Audio Books for Children

January 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Getting your children to read is a challenge. Children are consumed with technology. An easy way to expose your children to books is through audio books. Most children have an iPod or Mp3 player. Most audio books are available in the Mp3 format. This is a fun way to open the world of books to your children. There are many popular Internet sites that sell affordable audio books for children. Reading books has taken a back seat to the Internet and video games. Many children have below average reading skills. Audio books are a great way to get your children interested in books.

Parents are discovering a extraordinary method to improve their children’s reading skills. You download the audio book and purchase the purchase the printed book. To save money you can check the book out at your local public library. Your children can then read the book along with the audio version. This provides a fun way for children to practice reading and enjoy listening to the entertaining audio book.

While technology is beneficial, many children are missing out on the exciting world of books. Reading comprehension is a crucial component of education. Poor reading comprehension can prevent children from learning other subject materials. It is essential to help children develop their ability to read and their reading comprehension. Now, technology offers the opportunity for your children to discover books and begin to enjoy reading.

Browse the popular online bookstores and discover the many audio books available for children. You can easily download the audio books to your computer or directly to your children’s Mp3 player. The audio books are engaging and will allow your children to develop their imaginations. Get the hardcopy of the book and encourage your children to read along with the audio book. Keep your children interested in reading by taking the time to discuss the books with them.

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Maybe it is for the Best

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Image by chrisdebruyn via Flickr

There has been a lot of debate about whether or not it is best for children to be exposed to things which could be considered bad. On the one hand, the children of smokers are more than twice as likely to smoke themselves when they grow up. But on the other, children who do not grow up around guns, and are therefore not taught about gun safety, and to respect them as potentially deadly weapons, tend to grow up dangerously ignorant about them. In that vein, it’s a little up in the air whether or not growing up around things such as gambling would be good or bad for a child’s mind.

On the one hand, having poker tables and roulette wheels in the house would be a little extreme. Seriously, what are you trying to do, set up an underground casino or something? Let’s get real here – too much of anything is just going to teach a child that it’s okay to do all the time. It’s like being drunk around your kids- they’ll just think that things like are fine. And even worse, you may even (in a moment that you will regret for a very long time) offer them a drink, as well. Kids remember things like that.

But while you don’t want to raise your children in a pool of vice (well, I certainly don’t with my kids), you also don’t want them to grow up thinking that the world is full of nothing but cleanliness, sweetness and innocence. So where do we draw the proverbial line in the sand? Is it too much to occasionally have a poker night when our kids are around, so that they know that occasionally things like this happen in the adult world? Or is it the kind of thing where we don’t tell them about stuff like this until they’re invited?

Filed Under: Parenting, Resources