Archive for July 2014

I miss reading bedtime stories with my little girl

I miss reading bedtime stories with my little girl
Parenting a tween means negotiating a whole lot of changes in your child that come with them maturing. It’s amazing, and complicated, and sometimes fun, and often challenging. While I’ve found having a tween to be a lot more fun than I anticipated, the shift from cute little person who needs you to adolescent who... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 30, 2014 at 10:02 pm • 

7 lessons I learned on the Banana Taxi (which is not a euphemism)

7 lessons I learned on the Banana Taxi (which is not a euphemism)
When I pictured our family vacation at a small resort on a lake in Minnesota, I envisioned some pretty sunsets, some quality beach time and s’mores around the campfire. Before our trip, I’d never heard of the banana taxi and I certainly did not picture myself on one. The banana taxi is an inflatable tube... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 29, 2014 at 12:20 am • 

What parents need to know about the WhatsApp Messenger

What parents need to know about the WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp allows users to send unlimited videos, images, texts and audio messages to other WhatsApp users for free for a year. After the first year of use, it charges. $0.99. WhatsApp has been around for five years and has 450 million users. It is the most popular messaging app on smartphones, beating out Facebook messenger,... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 25, 2014 at 5:55 am • 
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CDC says HPV vaccination rates among teens "unacceptably low"

CDC says HPV vaccination rates among teens "unacceptably low"
Officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that they are disappointed in the low number of teens ages 13 to 17 receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In a survey published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, investigators estimate that 57% of girls and 35% of boys had... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 25, 2014 at 12:22 am • 

Disturbing Google search terms: Why you need to check your kids phone and computer

Disturbing Google search terms: Why you need to check your kids phone and computer
Thousands of people get to this blog because it came up in the results generated by a Google search or searches done on Yahoo!, Bing and other search engines. Perhaps that’s how you got here, and if so, welcome! It is possible for me to see some of the search terms that land people here... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 23, 2014 at 12:26 am • 

Why you shouldn't get sucked into the back to school onslaught yet

Why you shouldn't get sucked into the back to school onslaught yet
July 15th has come and gone, and it feels like that means the summer is over. We are now firmly planted in the season I believe is called “pre-fall.” I say this, because of the school supply ad I just saw on the television, the back to school section that now takes up a large... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 17, 2014 at 9:49 am • 
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What parents need to know about Tumblr

What parents need to know about Tumblr
Tumblr is a website and app that says it “lets you effortlessly share anything” and that includes texts, videos, photos, links, you name it. The wide range of content is part of what makes Tumblr unique. It is a cross between a social network and a microblogging site. Here’s what parents need to know about... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 16, 2014 at 11:06 am • 

Redefine what "run like a girl" means by watching female professional athletes

Redefine what "run like a girl" means by watching female professional athletes
There have been a lot of ads and discussions about gender perceptions. One of the most viral ones is the video from Always about what it means to run like a girl, throw like a girl, and fight like a girl. (You can find the video, which has been viewed 10 million times, at the... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 14, 2014 at 12:25 am • 

Headed off to summer camp: my tween wanted an epic farewell

Headed off to summer camp: my tween wanted an epic farewell
My tween is headed off to summer camp, as in full-fledged sleep away camp, for the first time this summer. I think it sounds and feels a bit more dramatic than it is. She’s gone for six nights at a horse camp less than two hours away. She’s not even crossing state lines, yet it... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 12, 2014 at 6:49 pm • 
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Examining adolescent screen time: surprising stats on television and computer usage

Examining adolescent screen time: surprising stats on television and computer usage
Wondering what adolescents’ screen time looks like these days? I was surprised to learn that kids spend more time on screens than they do in school, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.  In fact, time spent with media takes up more of their time than any other activity other than sleeping, according to a study... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
July 10, 2014 at 9:42 pm •