Tweens (10-12)

There aren't many moments outside of sleep where my boys are still.  The only things that slow them down are allergies and illness.  It stinks to see their pep stolen by runny, itchy noses and eyes.  They aren't in real school yet, but there are definitely days where their allergies get in the way of what they may have wanted to do.  I'm sure if they were in school, bothersome symptoms could have a drastic effect on their grades and overall performance.  I see them get distracted, irritated, and lethargic when their allergy symptoms are bothering them the most. Allergies definitely affect their sleep, too...runny noses equal lots of sniffling and nose-wiping in my house.  Restless nights don't stop them, but they sure slow down the boys. They love life, and I want to do anything I can to help them continue on with their joyful life as normal!  Kids are only kids once. I don’t want to let allergies rob them of it.   Read more >

It is times like these that make me think she may be ready to dip her toe in the tumultuous ocean of social media. Not because writing a good blog makes you savvy to the ways of Facebook, but because she has demonstrated that she can share her feelings effectively to the world (or me). She writes, she proofreads, she edits. I have an almost 13-year-old that is bringing the whole social media thing and her use of it to my forefront. I have several ideas running through my head on how to approach this, but I still have time.  Read more >

A friend of mine on Facebook shared the photo that shows young Alex Pollard, a sixth grader at Cooper Middle School in Austell, GA , being sidelined during the singing of two songs at a choir concert. His mother, Arla Jan Wilson, wrote: "As Mr. Grevstead directed the children into position, Alex waited patiently on the sideline to be positioned with the rest of the group. All of this took about five minutes. As the chorus began to sing, I realized that Alex would not be placed with the others. The picture that you see was taken after the first song was over and the second began, I assure you Alex was in that location the entire time his class performed."  Read more >

I have an amazing power that was only recently discovered. I don’t twitch when the word puberty is said. I not only don’t twitch, I get happy and love to talk about it with parents and girls. Girls only. I have no idea about the boys. Armed with this new super power I recently worked with a teen counselor and we put on a program for some local Girl Scouts. We held it around Valentines Day and called it Loving Your Growing Body. It was complete with snacks and door prizes and I have to say it was a huge success.  Read more >

Do you worry about your kids' privacy online? Do you even know what information marketers are gathering about your child and his or her online habits? Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) -- who authored the Children’s Online Privacy Protect Act of 1998 (COPPA) for the House -- is holding a conference call for bloggers with Jim Steyer from Common Sense Media at 1:30PM EST/12:30 PM CT/10:30 AM PT on Thursday, February 2nd (that's this week!) to discuss a new bipartisan bill he's co-sponsoring, H.R. 1895, Do Not Track Kids Online -- and he wants our questions, BlogHers!  Read more >