Teens n' Safety

Helmet. Check.

Knee pads. Check.

Elbow pads. Check.

Roller skates. Oops.

In my day the worry was your kid falling while skating or biking or talking to a stranger, now known as "Stranger Danger.” Today there are a lot more ways parents need to keep their kids’ safe.

Internet. Check.

Allergies. Check.

Bullies. Check.

On top of the possibility of sports injuries, vaping and catfishing. How is a parent to handle all this?

EASY. Talk to you children before it’s too late.  “Parents need to “be aware that kids as young as 12, 13, 14 are starting vaping,” Evans-Polce said by email. “Conversations with their children about vaping need to happen earlier than they may think.” — Lisa Rapport, Reuters. This means that by 5th grade (age 11) at the latest, parents should be talking to their children about drugs, alcohol and vaping. Parents need to be clear on what is acceptable and what is not. Also be clear if consequences will happen if your child veers into the not category. Telling my daughter that I would cancel her cell service meaning she would need a Wi-Fi signal to use her phone even in an emergency, has kept my awesome girl awesome. Shock of all shocks, our kids actually listen to us.

This applies to the realm of social media too. As long as your child feels that your connection to him/her on social media is strictly to make sure they are safe and monitor what is posted, then your kid most likely won’t hate you. “It's important to be aware of what your kids do online. But snooping can alienate them and damage the trust you've built together. The key is to stay involved in a way that makes your kids understand that you respect their privacy but want to make sure they're safe.” — Elena Pearl Ben-Joseph, Kids Health. And it is not just social media we need to be worried about, there is the Dark Web too. Since kids start as early as age 12 on social media, add this topic to your drugs alcohol and vaping conversation. Be sure to cover social media, cyberbullying, the Dark Web and of course, “stranger danger.”

Shameless Plug… On Tuesday April 26th at 12:30 PM, I will be in conversation with Richard Landau, a cyber security expert for a workshop, “The Dark Web: What every parent needs to know.” Register here.

All of this means that you should talk with you kids before it’s too late, understand where your child is coming from sand let them know your thoughts too. Open dialogue between a parent and child makes for a strong, loving, and trusting relationship.