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Kids, Smartphones & Depression

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Technology is something to embrace for sure, but one of the most negative associations we have with increasing technology is kids and smartphones.

When was the last time you saw or even knew of a youngster who didn’t have a smartphone? For that matter, when was the last time you saw a youngster not staring at their phone? Kids as young as 9 or 10 years old have the best and most current smartphones. They become an extension of themselves and are always within reaching distance of their phone. Other than the constant texting of friends, kids love to peruse social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram. Sites like these can be a fun distraction sometimes, but unfortunately for our kids it becomes an essential part of their lives. Every spare second they have is usually spent on social media sited on their phones. Is this something that we as parent’s need to be concerned with? This particular teenage girl would probably say yes.

Nina Langton had no right to be depressed. At least, that’s how she saw it. She had friends, lived in a great neighborhood, and was close with her parents. Like most 16-year-olds she spent much of her free time on her smartphone. Nina says, “Part of what made my depression so difficult was that I didn’t understand why I was feeling so sad.” After Nina’s attempted suicide, her and her therapist got to the root of her depression. Nina states – “I was spending a lot of time stalking models on Instagram, and I worried a lot about how I looked,” Nina would stay up late in her bedroom, looking at social media. Poor sleep along with an eating disorder—eventually caught up with Nina. She finally felt that suicide felt like her only option. “I didn’t totally want to be gone,” she says. “I just wanted help and didn’t know how else to get it.” Nina’s mom, Christine Langton, has a degree in public health and works at a children’s hospital. Despite her professional background, she says she was “completely caught off guard” by her daughter’s suicide attempt. “Nina was funny, athletic, smart, and personable. Christine said “Depression was just not on my radar.”

To read the rest of this article on Time.com – CLICK HERE. 

 

How to Talk to Kids About Terrorist Attacks

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It’s sad, but we live in a world where terrorism is a realistic part of life. Most recently in Las Vegas, an apparent lone gunman opened fire on a crowd of concert-goers and killed more than 50 people and wounded more than 400 others making it the deadliest mass shooting in US history. Our kids are naturally going to hear about tragic events like this, and how we answer them is very important.

It would be so nice if kids could stay innocent and live in a world of bliss, but that’s not a real possibility. When they hear of tragic events they may have questions such as “why did that person hurt those people.” First find out what they know. Let what they know launch the conversation and then let them direct the conversation with their questions and concerns.  Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting With Presence says, “Say, ‘You may have heard something really sad happened, and I wanted to know what you had heard about that,’ If you’re not sure they’ve heard anything—and don’t want to open a can of worms—just ask about their day, or if they heard anything interesting, and see if they bring it up.”

Other ways to deal with it are; Talk about it more than once, keep it simple and bring it to their level. Always encourage them to express how they feel. Listen to what they are most worried about and name their feelings. Don’t put your own feelings into their heads.

To read a lot more on this very important topic from Parents.com, CLICK HERE.

Parents Share the Most Expensive Things Their Kids Have Destroyed

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I have to admit, these are pretty funny stories. Not because of the misfortune, but because anyone with children has experienced something similar to these parents. If you are a new parent and haven’t lost anything of monetary value due to your child yet (and I stress yet), fasten your seat belts – it’s coming.

No amount of childproofing or being careful on your part can combat it. Whether they are toddlers, tweens or teens…they will find a way cost you some kind of unnecessary expense. My only advice to a new parent is to learn yoga, or start honing your mediation skills. I mean – it’s only money right?

Here is what one parent experienced and this is a rough one. “Took my kids (7 and 9) to see Stomp. They came home enthused and were playing at drumming on all metal stuff (dustbin, fence posts etc.). I went to cook dinner and was thinking to myself, ‘hey they sound pretty rhythmic!’ Went outside to to listen and son was using the car as his drum. The beater was a hammer. Not good. I had a half dimpled car for years afterwards.

A new parent may think, ‘these parents had it coming. Learn to watch your kids.’ I have to lol when I hear that. I think even if you locked them in a room until they were 18 years old, they would find a way to destroy something. It’s impossible to watch them every second of the day. All you can do is your best and just realize, it’s all part of having kids. Plus, as painful as losing your brand new flats screen TV is now, it’ll make for a funny story later in life.

To read even more stories from Cafemom, CLICK HERE.

Sometimes It’s Worth Getting In Trouble

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Some say it’s a part of growing up, but the mother of this 6 year old little girl will not tolerate bullying.

When her daughter came home complaining that she was being bothered, Mandi Castle thought her daughter was just being dramatic, as kids can sometimes be. However her daughter kept bringing it up. Castle decided to do some parent probing. That’s when she got the full picture of what was happening on the recess playground. Her daughter explained how boys were hitting her on her butt and when she told them to stop, they called her chubby and laughed at her. When she told them to stop that, they called her fat and laughed more. At that point Castle says her daughter put her head down and said, “Tomorrow, I’m just going to hide at recess.” That’s when things got real.

At first mom was filled with outrage. Naturally the thought of anyone touching her daughter on her bottom made her furious. But after taking a bit of time to cool off, Castle decided to make this a teaching experience. She did not want to band aid the situation, she wanted to empower her daughter. She told her daughter, “Sometimes it’s worth getting in trouble if it means you stop getting pushed around.” Castle continued, “If they do that tomorrow, you say, ‘Keep your hands off of me.’ If they don’t stop, you tell the teacher. If they continue to bother you, you turn around and step on their feet, or kick them in the shins or their business, and if you get in trouble, go ahead and tell your teacher to give me a call.'”

I have a feeling this is one little girl that will grow up knowing how to handle herself in life thanks to a really supportive and loving mom.

To read more about it at Popsugar.com, CLICK HERE. 

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