Teens and Cell Phones

By Angela Ardolino

We’ve all been in that awkward situation when someone takes a call or sends a text message at an inappropriate time. And it can even be embarrassing when that someone is your teen. As parents, we want to give our kids the world but are we the cause of bad cell phone etiquette when we cave to pressure put on us by kids?

Boundaries, Expectations and Limitations.

Regardless of what your teen says you’re the only person who can decide if they’re ready to have a cell phone. Having one may be commonplace among friends, but in your house having a cell phone is a large responsibility. Right off the bat, establish that cell phone use has boundaries, expectations and limitations as well as consequences for falling short and rewards for achieving goals.

Quiet Zones

Originally developed to talk with others while on the go, cell phones have progressed far from just making phone calls. Decide with your teen on quiet zones where cell phone use is not permitted (school, dinner, church, family time, movies, etc.). Emphasize that no matter how important a call or text message may be, it should not be answered in quiet zones, like school. If you need to get a hold of them during the school day, contact the school.

Try creating specific usage times during the day (after school, on weekends, etc.) for your teens to communicate with friends. If your teen takes to your guidelines easily, reward them with additional monthly text or talk minutes.

Driving

When your teen finally steps behind the wheel one of the most important things they’ll need to remember is that under no circumstances are they to talk, text or surf the web while driving. Regardless of who calls. No text message or call is worth the risk of injuring, or killing yourself or others. Wait until your parked to return a call or text.

Some parents may even take the precaution of not allowing calls or text when teens are in a car with another young driver. Teens are easily distracted and having other teens making noise, taking calls while driving can endanger everyone in the car.

Public

Make sure your teen understands that some calls are not appropriate to have in the middle of the mall. Even though teens get easily wrapped up in conversation, remember that other people can hear and see you. Wait until they get home before engaging in a heated conversation.

Minding your manners in public is also important cell phone etiquette. Language or topics of discussion that may be normal to you and the person on the other line may not always be appropriate for the person sitting next to you on the bus. Follow the simple rule: If you wouldn’t walk around with certain words written on your t-shirt don’t say them when talking on the phone in a public place.

The best way to raise polite, smart cell phone users is by being good role models. Our teens will emulate what they see us do. So if we pick up our cell phones during movies or at restaurants, they will also. Once you decide to bestow the privilege of having a cell phone to your teen, talk them through what it means and what’s expected of them. If you’re clear about what you expect in return, there won’t be any discussion later on down the line.

Sources

TBParenting.com

ParentingWithAngela.com

CableOrganizer.com

Getting Back into the School Routine

By Angela Ardolino

Kids all over Tampa Bay are clinging to the last few days of summer but as the new school year approaches parents should be thinking about how to transition their kids back into the school schedule. Easing them back into a routine will help parents and kids avoid the anxiety that comes along with a new year.

The key to a stress free transition is starting early. Don’t wait until the first day of school to start a routine. If you start early, this will give your family time to get accustomed to the new schedule.

Night Before:

As school starts, establish everyone’s bedtime for the school year and implement them with a wind down period one-hour before their bedtime. The wind down time is a perfect time to pack book bags, make lunches, turn off electronics and settle in for the night. It will also ease the morning rush if everything is prepared. Keeping the house quiet and calm during wind down time will also ease the transition into bedtime.

Making sure your kids are getting enough sleep is very important. On average, school-aged children need at least 9-hours of rest. Any less, and they’ll be tired during the school day, making learning and retention almost impossible. Here’s a bedtime chart to use as guidance when establishing bedtimes in your home.

Bedtime Chart:

0 – 2 years of age: 7:00pm
3 – 5 years of age: 8:00pm
6 – 8 years of age: 8:30pm
9 – 12 years of age: 9:00 pm
12- 15 years of age: 9:30pm
15+ years of age: (Your child, by this age, should be able to decide when they need to go to sleep and prioritize their after school responsibilities accordingly.)

Morning:

Morning time should only be for getting ready. Doing anything more like packing bags, making lunches, finishing homework, etc. will make the morning stressful for kids and parents. Once your kids are in grade school try giving them each there own alarm clock, making each one responsible for getting up and dressed for the day without mom or dad.

Eating a healthy breakfast will also energize the kids for the first half of the day. Families often resort to cereals or other quick fixes that are high in sugar and have little or no nutritional value. Here are some fun, simple breakfast ideas for school days that involve little or no prep.

Afternoon:

Most of your kids will have homework on a daily basis and encouraging them to complete it right when they get home will leave the late afternoon and early evening for play time, bath time and family time. When the kids get home, snack time is the perfect opportunity for you to sit with them, talk about the day and what they learned as well as give them a short break before heading into homework. Giving too long of a break between snack and homework time might cause your kids to lose focus making it more difficult to complete homework later in the evening.

Their homework will hopefully be assigned to re-enforce what was learned earlier in the day. Find a quiet, well-lit area of the house where everyone can sit together to do homework. If you have older children, they can be the designated homework helper for your little ones. Of course, mom or dad is always around to answer questions but allowing your teens to take a leadership role will instill confidence in them.

After school activities are also a fun, great way for kids to learn new things outside of the classroom and make new friends during the week. Discuss with your kids what sort of activities they might be interested in doing after school like karate or performing arts and find one day a week where afternoon time includes these activities. If any of the activities involve and change of clothes or other prep work, make sure its done the night before and loaded into the car. You can find a full list of after school programs and classes online that might interest your kids.

The new school year is an exciting time to start fresh and learn new things. Creating a schedule that everyone can follow will help create a regimented and consistent school schedule.

Sources:
TBParenting.com 
ChildrensBoard.org
MomsWhoThink.com

Choosing a tutor

By Angela Ardolino

In today’s academic environment, teachers are responsible for instructing their classroom on a wide range of topic and concepts. While most students in this setting will thrive and be stimulated by the subject matter others may find difficulty. In these cases, finding a tutor to help bridge the gap will help to make the best of your child’s academic situation.

Students who need tutors generally fall into one of three categories: lack academic foundation, gifted/talented or college bound high schooler. Once you and the teacher have assessed the classification that best applies to your child, finding a tutor will be much easier. Here are a few steps to take when searching for a tutor.

Identify Your Child’s Needs

Every child has different, specific needs when it comes to academics. Communicate with your child’s teacher to pinpoint trouble areas in a certain subject. Be as specific as possible and establish tangible, reachable goals. Once you’ve decided areas that need work, make sure to thoroughly discuss these with any potential tutor.

Assess The Tutor’s Communication and Technical Skills

Not all tutors are best when working with school-aged children or on a specific subject. Before having a “try-out” session with the tutor, review their academic accreditation, college course work, specialty areas and ask for referrals. Then, take the opportunity to watch the tutor interact with your child. Do they communicate concepts well with your child? Does your child feel relaxed and comfortable in the setting? Afterwards, talk with your child to see how they felt about the session. If your child doesn’t like the tutor (for whatever reason) don’t ignore those sentiments. You want make sure that any tutor your chooses will make learning fun for your child.

Monitor Results

Your child should start to see results are about 2-3 months of working with a tutor. And within 6 months your child should definitely see better grades in the subject areas being worked on. Communicate often with the tutor as well as your child’s teacher to see how they are progressing. Improving academic achievement is difficult and will take time. If you don’t see results, this is definitely as sign that your child’s current tutor either doesn’t work well with your child or can’t explain the subject matter in a way that best fits them.

Once you’ve found the perfect tutor for your learner, discuss payment, cancelation policies and of course, run a background search on them. Understanding everything about the tutor’s background and center policies will help make the experience great for your child and you.

Sources:

TBParenting.com

 VarsityTutors.com