helping parents tame the teenage years
I had a friend yesterday point me to a Ted talk from www.dosomething.org. Nancy Lublin discussed the idea of harnessing the power of texting among teens.
How can you harness the power of texting to build your relationship with your teenager?
Here is the video:
I just forced myself to watch all 10 minutes and 9 seconds of this video.
It was truly one of the most gut-wrenching experiences I have ever had. My stomach started churning 10 seconds into the video.
I want to share my first and raw thoughts from the video and I would love to hear your reaction…
1. Bullying Should Not Be Ignored
The issue of Bullying is so complex. When I think through, “How can I stop bullying?” It feels like someone just asked me to fit all the water from Niagra Falls in a milk jug. It feels impossible. But if you are tempted to think that the emphasis on Bullying is too much, just watch this video. It has captivated the country because this emotional abuse is happening every day to kids. We can’t stop educating and bringing attention to this subject no matter how overwhelming it might seem to find the solution.
this is a guest post from Marthe Teixeira who is the founder/CEO of Stixs and Stones and a life coach for teen girls. Find more out at www.stixs-n-stones.com
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, Formspring, FourSquare and FindMe … okay that last one was made up but how would you know, because it seems every day there is a new social network that teens are joining.
Social networks have become a regular part of our kids’ lives. What is the first thing a teen does when he/she wakes up? They check their phone. Some teens are even sleeping with their phones as they did not want to miss a tweet or text from their friends.
In today’s digital world teens are connected 24/7 and are logging in from everywhere. They are oversharing on these networks as well, especially Facebook. The line between which should be kept private and public is being blurred.
Had a bad day at school? Got into a fight with your mom? Mad at Marissa for ignoring you at lunch? Those emotional comments go right up on Facebook without much thought and the damage is done.
Posts, status updates, comments, likes, tweets, instant messages, texts and video uploading have become part of our teens’ everyday life. Many parents simply do not know what their kids are sharing on sites or what social media they are using.
Once something is out in the digital world it does not go away and leaves a digital footprint.
My middle school year book still frightens me; I can’t imagine it roaming around in digital cyber space. The one thing I think kids seem to forget is that information cannot be controlled or taken back. Anything can be copied, changed and shared instantly. This can become damaging to a teen’s reputation or cause them to be a victim or cyber bullying.
This can lead to irresponsible and disrespectful behavior. Our teens’ technology abilities come from their maturity and judgment. Unfortunately, teens are using these networks sites to bully or embarrass those they do not like. Being connected 24/7 teens cannot hide from being cyber bullied.
Here’s some advice for parents on guidance in the digital world:
