Mama Drama: Respectful Independence
Lisa Vratny-Smith | March 12, 2010 – 7:00 am | No Comment

Dear Mama Drama:
My eight-year-old son has recently become very rude and disrespectful. Every time I ask him to do something he argues with me. When I try to help him with something he becomes surly …

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Sexting, Video Chat, and Our Children
March 11, 2010 – 7:00 am | 1 Comment

Sexting, Video Chat, and Our Children

The writings of Guest Blogger Sandra Brownrigg can be found at her blog, Amplify. Image courtesy of kiwanja.net

Back in the days before caller i.d., most of us anonymously called someone we had a crush on — just to hear the person’s voice – at least once or twice. As soon as they answered, we’d hang up, giggling with our friends. Perhaps, too, in middle or high school, you made out with someone at a party – and the next day, to your profound distress, they told everyone in the school. Or, when you broke up with your high school (or even college) boyfriend, he spread a rumor that you’d gone all the way – even when you hadn’t.

Times have changed

Those rites of passage, as silly and painful as they were, are so very innocent compared to today’s ubiquitous, ever-lasting online world. Now slumber parties can turn into Chat Roulette sessions, where “truth or dare” is replaced by “get naked in front of strangers online.” Boys are much more likely to engage in this behavior than girls. Because the Internet is the world’s largest public marketplace, sexting and video chat carry risks and a permanent record we did not have to worry about when we were experimenting in the pre-Internet days.

How prevalent is sexting?

No one knows how many teens and young adults are sexting – sending sexually explicit texts or pictures via text message. The study Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults (note that it is a PDF) estimated that, as of 2008, half or more have sent or received explicit messages. Perhaps most alarming: “15% of teens who have sent or posted nude/seminude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.” In other words, some of our children are sending provocative pictures of themselves to strangers via the internet – which means those pictures have a shelf life of forever

Other surveys estimate a lower rate, saying that one in five teens have received an explicit text or picture: less than 5% admit sending an explicit message. A Pew survey said that teens with unlimited texting or “pay their own bills” are the most likely to sext. Regardless of the exact numbers, experts agree that sexting is becoming increasingly common. Read the full story »

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Daily Deal-NextCare Offers Rx for Only $1
March 11, 2010 – 7:00 am | Comments Off
Daily Deal-NextCare Offers Rx for Only $1

Colds. The flu. Seasonal allergies. It’s hard to combat spring ailments, but NextCare Urgent Care is helping mom and families combat the cost of treating them with $1 prescriptions.
NextCare Urgent Care is stepping up to …

Weekly Event Round-up: St. Patrick’s Day Parade, National Elephant Day and More!
March 10, 2010 – 12:10 pm | Comments Off
Weekly Event Round-up: St. Patrick’s Day Parade, National Elephant Day and More!

Saturday. If the theme is any indication, this year’s Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade is going to be an extra-fun one: “Shamrockin’ 2010” celebrate the contributions of the Irish to popular music. It’s not …

Daily Deal: Free Easter Basket At Build-A-Bear
March 10, 2010 – 7:00 am | Comments Off
Daily Deal: Free Easter Basket At Build-A-Bear

From now until April 4th when you spend $20 at Build-A-Bear, you’ll receive a free Easter basket with candy.  Their Cheerful Cheeks Chick is pretty cute-her cheeks light up too.  She’s on sale for $20.
For …

A slice of crisis, but not mine
March 9, 2010 – 4:13 pm | 3 Comments
A slice of crisis, but not mine

I feel the man walk up behind me. He’s very close when the hallway is very wide. He brushes my left arm as he passes, but only barely. It’s then I realize that he’s a …

Daily Deal: Free Lip Gloss & Mascara
March 9, 2010 – 7:00 am | Comments Off
Daily Deal: Free Lip Gloss & Mascara

Starting today you can snag a free full-sized Lancome Juicy Tubes Lip Gloss(an $18 value) from Nordstroms when you bring in the Seventeen homepage or cover of April 2010.  They will only be giving away 8,000 …

Here I come to save the day
March 9, 2010 – 12:01 am | 7 Comments
Here I come to save the day

As part of our post-adoption homestudy nine years ago, our agency required us to attend classes in Infant & Child CPR and to submit our certificate of completion for our file. At the …

It’s Like Learning How to Not Kill Your Child As She Learns to Ride a Bike
March 8, 2010 – 8:00 am | 25 Comments
It’s Like Learning How to Not Kill Your Child As She Learns to Ride a Bike

On Wednesday, I posted the following on Twitter:
Off to bang my head against the wall a.k.a. once again attempt to teach 5-yr-old Hadley to ride her bike.
I was only kind of joking. My husband Jamie …