Parenting is far from easy, and I’m grateful for the chance to explore various issues moms and dads face in publications around the web, in addition this blog and ChicagoNow. One of my favorite parts of being a writer is getting to interview experts and share their wisdom and advice that can make parenting a little easier.
Here’s a roundup of parenting pieces that I’ve written recently.
Parents, Kids and Social Media: How Involved Should Mom and Dad Be? on Make It Better
“While following your child on social media is encouraged, that doesn’t mean you should follow all of their friends, too. ‘It’s just like how you wouldn’t tag along to every movie. You need to allow your kids their own social space,’ says DeRosa. Knorr cautions against tagging all of your child’s friends in photos you may post on social media.
She adds that there’s no need to comment, like or interact with everything your child posts. ‘If what you’re seeing is safe and okay, don’t insert yourself,’ DeRosa advises.”
Science Says Early School Starts Are Unhealthy on RealityMoms.Rocks
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says, ‘Most American adolescents start school too early.’ The CDC notes that ‘[s]tarting school later can help improve an adolescent’s health, academic performance and quality of life.’ In support of later start times, the CDC notes that adolescents are more likely to be overweight, suffer from depression, perform poorly in school and engage in unhealthy risky behaviors if they do not get enough sleep.”
Managing Back to School Stress on Ask. Listen. Learn.
“Few things fuel a parent’s stress level like the out of control hormones of an adolescent. But you can fight wacky adolescent hormones with your good hormones by taking a few deep breaths. Doing so stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and signals to the body to release hormones to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, making you feel more relaxed.
I know, it sounds simple. And you’ve heard it before. But taking a few deep, slow breaths really is a good, cheap, effective way to keep the stress at bay.”
You May Also Like: Kids books that were once banned and are now beloved in honor of National Banned Book Week
Prior Post:Fun facts about the Chicago Marathon by the numbers
Don’t miss a post! Please subscribe to Between Us Parents’ safe, spam-free email list in the box in the top right corner of the page!
Please like Between Us Parents on Facebook. You can also find Between Us Parents on Pinterest and Twitter.