The post It’s 21 Just Pass appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Below are a few helpful tips from Predicto Mobile , the leading online and text message based survey company, for parents looking to successfully integrate into the texting community:

1) Learn the lingo: There are pre-established acronyms like LOL, TTYL and BRB. Not every sentence is meant to be written using only the first letter of every word.

2) Don’t invade their tech space: Don’t text your kids until they text you, otherwise your kids will think you’re a poseur.

3) Use but don’t abuse: Don’t be the next of victim of text addiction.

4) Make it all inclusive: Make sure you have an all inclusive rate plan so you aren’t like “OMG” when your cell phone bill arrives

5) Just Say No: “Sexting” is inappropriate at any age

6) Don’t text and drive: Texting accidents are becoming increasingly common. Recent studies have shown that drivers who text are four times as likely to crash.

“Texting is an appealing way for parents to reach their kids while simultaneously boosting their “coolness” factor,” says Eyal Yechazkell, CEO of Predicto Mobile. “But parents also need to be careful they don’t over do it. Kids are pretty astute and can sense when their parents are trying too hard.”

The post Texting Tips for Parents appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The winners of the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens are #9  Bethany and #29 LilyK! Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners.

The post PUR and Extraordinary Teens Winners appeared first on The Mom Maven.

In case you aren’t familiar with the Worst-Case Scenario books, they have been around for 10 years. The original book has spawned multiple sequels including: parenting, politics, life, work and more. The books are fun, fact-filled looks at how to handle the worst-case scenario of any situation.

Parenting is divided into three chapters and an appendix. Chapter One: Ages Zero to Three, includes entries such as How to Deal with a Screaming Baby on an Airplane, How to Get your Baby to Sleep and How to Survive Baby Gear Overload. My favorite in this chapter is How to Give your Baby a Bath without a Bathtub. This article lists several containers you could use as a makeshift bathtub; my favorite part is the list of what not to use.

Do Not Use:

• Drive-through car wash (with open car windows)
• Toilet bowl
• Front-loading washing machines
• Outdoor power sprayer
• Dishwasher
• Hot tub

Chapter Two:Three to Twelve includes; How to Remove Chewing Gum from Hair, How to Discipline an Imaginary Friend and How to Rid a Bedroom of Monsters. My favorite in this chapter is How to Remove a Wad of Paper from your Child’s Nose. I found this one interesting for two reasons; first when I taught pre-school I had one little girl who was always putting things up her nose, and second because recently my sister and brother-in-law needed a chapter called ‘How to Remove a Shark’s Tooth from your Son’s Ear’…long story as you can imagine.

Chapter Three: The Teenage Years covers things like: How to Survive Teenage Angst, How to Avoid a Prom Corsage Wound and How to Survive Empty-Nest Syndrome. My favorite though is How to Determine if your Child is Driving your Car-which includes placing an analog watch under the car tire! In the Appendix, they cover Essential Parenting Cliches, the “Birds and the Bees Speech”, an IM/Text lingo decoder and a teen slang glossary.

This is the parenting book for all parents in all stages of parenting. It is funny and helpful at the same time. If you would like to purchase The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting you can do so at their website.

You can win The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting right here from The Mom Maven!

Mandatory 1st Entry: Leave a comment telling me the worst-case parenting scenario you have survived.

Bonus entries:

• Follow both @MomMaven and @WorstCaseBooks on Twitter and leave me a comment with your Twitter name
• Tweet This “Win The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook Parenting from @MomMaven & @worstcasebooks http://bit.ly/HmXxR” and leave a comment with the tweet’s URL
• Become a fan of Worst-case scenarios on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know you did it.

This giveaway is for US residents only. The drawing will be held August 7, 2009 at 7:00pm. Good Luck!

The post The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting appeared first on The Mom Maven.

from the  Teen Summit on Internet & Wireless Safety presented by Cox Communications

Want to improve the lines of communication with your children? These ten tips will help you get started immediately.

1. Listen

Listen to what your child is expressing and try to understand what’s going on with them internally. Don’t make assumptions.

2. Don’t Interrogate

Ask open-ended questions but avoid excessive questioning. Use general conversation starters like “How is it going?” or “What’s going on?” and then be silent. Most kids will tell you what you want to know if they don’t feel bombarded.

3. Be Honest

Practice honesty and respect. If a child asks something and you don’t know the answer, be honest. Say you don’t know and then find out. Conversely, if you do something inappropriate or make a mistake, be willing to apologize and admit it.

4. Keep Calm

Avoid yelling, making threats or using “labels” to describe your child or their friends.

5. Skip the Lecture

Don’t lecture your child or repeat the same thing constantly. Those tactics usually cause kids to tune you out.

6. Pay Attention

When your teen is talking, give them your complete focus. Stop whatever else you are doing and use eye contact.

7. Be Gentle

Avoid power struggles. You might hold the power, but you lose ultimately when you break your kid’s spirit.

8. No Judgements

Express your opinions without being judgmental. Remember to be concise so your comments don’t turn into a lecture.

9. Use Positive Reinforcement

Don’t dwell on your child’s mistakes. Focus on their accomplishments to demonstrate support and build self-esteem.

10. Take a Walk

Create situations that allow you to communicate with your kids. Whether it’s riding together in the car without playing the radio, running errands together or taking a walk after dinner, this one-on-one time will strengthen your relationship.

If you do not have a good relationship with your teens/tweens that is the place to start. The saying goes “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” is very true. Take some time over the next week to get to know your teen/tween, get on their level. At first don’t talk about the issues that divide you, focus on building them up. Talk about what they like, what they are good at. In my 20+ years of working with youth I see so many parents that don’t even know their kids, and it is sad.  Yes, it takes time, parenting takes time. The benefits of taking the time to get to know and build up your kids are huge.

Spend time with you teen this week. In the next few weeks we will talk about television and the media, cell phones-texting and sexting, social media and more.

The post Communicating with Your Tween or Teen appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The post Talking to Your Teen appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Aaron driving the Beemer.

With summer revving its engine, classes ending and summer jobs starting, it’s a great time of year for teenagers.

However, between driving to work, taking road trips and joyriding without care, teens are on the road a lot more in the summer months. It is no surprise, then, that data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows an annual spike in traffic accidents, injuries and deaths among young people in the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

As teens start cruising around this summer, it is important for parents to remind them how to stay safe behind the wheel.  Below are a few quick tips for parents of teen drivers from http://www.thinkbeforeyoudrive.org.

Create a driving contract for your teen, and be prepared to stick to it. A driving contract is a great way to let teens know that driving is both a privilege and a serious responsibility. It also establishes clear expectations about driving for your teen: always wear a seat belt, never get into a vehicle with someone who’s been drinking, etc. A customizable contract template is available at http://www.thinkbeforeyoudrive.org .

Choose an ICE contact. All drivers should designate an emergency contact in the address book of their cell phones under the name “ICE” – In Case of Emergency. Emergency workers in many towns check for an ICE contact in cell phones.

Set a good example. Practice what you preach. When parents run red and yellow lights, speed down the highway at 75 miles per hour, weave in and out of traffic, ride the bumper of the car in front of them and exhibit signs of road rage, they are telling teens that rules don’t count – and this can be fatal. Be a role model for your teen.

ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org has some great videos in their Driving 101 area and an online Road Test too. Aaron and I checked out the site and it was interesting and informative.

A few teen driver tasks from The Mom Maven’s Homeschool Driver’s Education files. In addition to safety and driving evaluations:

• Teen driver must demonstrate how to check tire pressure and inflate tire
• Teen driver must demonstrate how to change a tire
• Teen driver must demonstrate how to check the oil
• Teen driver and parents must create a driving contract

Driving is a privilege, not a right. Anyone who cannot follow the rules of the road should have their driving privileges suspended until they are mature enough to handle the responsibility.

Check out ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org and Drive safe!

What rules have you set up for your teen driver? Please share them in the comments so we can all learn together.

The post Teen Driving Safety appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Don’t forget to check out  my other giveaway “It’s Hip Hop Baby!”

The post Chicken Soup-Getting in to College Winner appeared first on The Mom Maven.

There is hope but it will take work, planning and follow-through. Kid’s behavior changes for the positive when they understand the “why” behind the rule. Take the time to sit down parents and teens together and talk about what is and isn’t appropriate behavior and why it is or isn’t. Discuss things like-Anything that is said or done to purposely hurt another person physically or emotionally is not acceptable. I always take these discussions and point back to God’s Word. Scripture tells us what is and isn’t appropriate behavior-it also tells us the consequences for our behavior. I’ve listed a few ideas here:

1. Work hard and do your best, don’t procrastinate. Proverbs 14:23 NIV “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

2. Take care of your body. Do not use cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. 1 Corinthians 6:19a NIV “Do you not know that your body is temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.”

3. Respect the authorities in your life. Parents, pastors, teachers etc. Obey them and do what you are asked. Romans 13:1-3 NIV ” ¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.”

Use these as a staring place to discuss actions and consequences. I suggest working as a family to create a teen behavior contract. On this contract list offenses and consequences. Kids crave boundaries and often once they know what is expected of them they thrive. Create it together with your teen, allow them to have a voice. When it is complete-type it up have the teen(s) and the parents sign the document and then make photocopies so everyone involved has their own copy as a reminder of the agreement.

Don’t let this discussion end with the contract though. Use this time and the contract as a springboard for conversations about behavior, consequences and rising above the tide of disrespect for others that is so prevalent in our society. What do you think about this topic? What would you tell this mother? Please leave a comment and let me know.

The post Teen Behavior appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Older Teens is here to help with a variety of all new stories about real-life from teens dealing with regrets and lessons learned, self-image and self-acceptance, family relationships and more. As part of the all new Chicken Soup for the Soul ® teen series, it is specifically designed with high school students in mind. With topics ranging from “Not Like in the Movies” to “A Hard Lesson,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School inspires and supports teen readers as they struggle with fitting in, finding friends and whatever else comes with the high school years. It also helps parents prepare conversations with their children, on everything from divorce, to illness and death, dating and sex.

Inside Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School, you’ll also read about:

• How Michelle Vanderwist survived the emotional abuse from her boyfriend
• How Amy Anderson confronted an eating disorder, and took steps to heal
• How Cristy Trandahl didn’t make the high school cheerleading squad, became a Minnesota Vikings cheerleader, then quit in the middle of the season – more content than ever
• How Bryonna Garcia deals with being a teen parent

You can purchase this book by clicking the link above or you can win it from the Mom Maven!
How to Enter:
**Mandatory** In your comment tell me what issue about raising teens you would like me to talk about on Mom Maven. You must also follow or subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here telling me that you have done this Please leave a valid e-mail address or twitter name so that I can notify if you win. **You must do all of this to be entered.**

If you would like extra entries you can earn them for doing any or all of the following after completing the above requirements:

* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
* blog about this contest and link to this post (not just a link to the contest) then leave me a link to your post in a separate comment
* Fave this blog on Mom Faves http://www.momfaves.com/faves/1495
* stumble this post with a review and link it here in separate comment

This giveaway ends Tuesday 3/31/09 at 11pm. I reserve the right to disqualify any entry that doesn’t follow the above guidelines. Good Luck!

The post Teens Talk High School-Review & Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.