HopeForYourFamily

Seriously.  I know you have stress in your life.  Doesn’t the stress and pace and crazy busyness of it all sometimes threaten to crush your spirit?  If so, you will relate to this.  Take five minutes to click and read the latest message from John Eldredge about “Doing What Makes You Strong in Christ.”

Tags: character, culture, discipline, HOPE, spiritual formation, texting, the journey, twitter

Here is a link to WAFB’s video archive of my latest Parenting 101 interview, where I simultaneously share some practical wisdom about how to put the responsibility for homework back in your child’s court and drive the sound-guy crazy with my drumming on the table.  Ah, life is fun!  By the way, one of the [...]

Tags: adolescence, freedom, parenting, personal responsibility, screamfree, teens, texting

Thanks to Walt Mueller and CPYU for providing the link to this very helpful parental control application for your teen’s iPhone.
This just in (Sept 15): Safe Eyes Mobile is also available as an excellent protection software for iPhones.

Tags: adolescence, media, parenting, personal responsibility, social networking, teens, texting

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk[/youtube]
This is a very compelling public service announcement from the UK.  Yes, our teens need to see it.  But I do, too.  I have convinced my self at times that I am competent enough to do a bit of light texting while driving.  It’s time to stop.  I don’t want to TMSTD.
Text
My
Self
To
Death!
Or anyone else, for [...]

Tags: adolescence, culture, media, personal responsibility, teens, texting

I recently referred to teens and tweens in a Twitter post, and promised a forthcoming blog post on why I hate the term “Tweens.”  Here it is.  If you are easily offended, you might want to stop reading now.  If you think it is cute to pose your pre-teens as little adults, but do little [...]

Tags: adolescence, culture, parenting, teens, texting, twitter

Parents, if your child has a cell-phone, or if you are thinking of allowing your child to have a cell-phone – you really need to be aware of the power of this electronic portal.  You may think, “But, it’s just a cell-phone.  What’s the big deal?”  Let me assure you, it is a big deal.  [...]

Tags: adolescence, culture, media, parenting, teens, texting

I hope to be back into a regular blogging rhythm again any day now. In the meantime, check out this New York Times article on the impact of texting on the lives and health of teens today.

Tags: adolescence, culture, media, teens, texting

I have been reflecting, of late, on the impact and significance of new communication technologies / social networking tools in our culture. The Internet itself, blogs, email, instant messaging, texting, i-phones, Blackberries, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Communication in Western culture has changed exponentially in my lifetime, and I am only 35!
Yesterday I [...]

Tags: coffee, culture, facebook, friends, media, social networking, texting, twitter

So, I’ve been Twittering lately.  Maybe you have noticed the new Twitter feed on my site over in the sidebar.  This social networking brain-dump is growing great guns, because we just love to listen in on random excerpts of our neighbors thoughts.  I am still learning the ropes, but I must say I really like [...]

Tags: culture, media, social networking, texting, twitter

Humans are wired for connection.  We all need relationships – family, romantic, friendships, community, etc.  In our constantly changing world of wireless connectivity, we seem to be more connected to more people than ever before.  Between cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging, email, blogging, MySpace, Blackberries, and so on, we have constant access to more [...]

Tags: adolescence, marriage / relationships, media, parenting, social networking, teens, texting