Why I’m Not Getting my 10-year-old a Cell Phone
One of the worst parenting mistakes I ever made was to give my 8-year-old daughter my old iPhone “just because.” She had been asking – begging – for months. “EVERY other kid has one/I need to be able to contact you in case of emergency/I’ll only use it for travel,” she pleaded. I caved because, [Read More]
Kidokey, the Best Way to Keep Your Kids Internet Safe
By Candace Derickx My children are the technology generation—raised from birth with touch screens and wi-fi—the Internet touches almost every aspect of their life from education to socialization. Just like I monitor where they go outside of the house, I also police where they go on the Internet. I often compare letting them loose on [Read More]
Sherpaa Lets you Get a Virtual Doctor’s Exam
These days, you can ship a casserole across the country without leaving your couch. So why is it so hard to get a fast, reliable answer to a health question? Kiss the waiting room goodbye with Sherpaa, a new digital healthcare service that lets you chat with doctors via phone, email or text message. The [Read More]
When NOT to Let Your Kids Use the iPad
iPads aren't evil. They are nifty little gadgets, I think we can all agree. After all, tablets have saved many travelling parents from descending into outright madness. It's a fact. Yet the key may not lie solely in moderation as it does in strategic timing. New research suggests that using tablets to pacify our kids could [Read More]
How My Son Racked Up a $1,681 iTunes Bill in One Month
By Angella Dykstra Last Sunday I sat down at my laptop to pay our bills. I logged into my credit card account to get the balance payable (We put everything on our MasterCard and pay it off monthly, because I like free groceries). The total alarmed me, and as I scrolled through the transactions, there were pages [Read More]
Radio Show Recap: Screen Smart Parenting
It’s reported that 81% of kids under 2 already have an online presence either through photos of proud parents or with a social media page dedicated to them. After birth, 7% of newborns even have an email address. Not to mention kids ages 2-5 can play video games and download apps better, and faster, than [Read More]
How Netflix May be Messing Up Our Kids
Let me first preface this post with a disclaimer: I love Netflix and the freedom of binge-watching whatever I want when I score some free time. I don't schedule my Netflix fix; it's usually a situation of found me-time that lets me revel in watching a show everyone's raving about. I rarely watch traditional TV [Read More]
Social Media and Fandom
I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a boy band fanatic. In the late 80’s I was a loyal “Block Head”, which was a title given to New Kids On The Block fans. Every square inch of my bedroom was plastered with posters of Joey McIntyre. I also had every piece of merchandise on [Read More]