Child Parenting

If you're a parent, you've no doubt read about teens who tragically took their own lives after they were allegedly subjected to bullying and cyberbullying with a mixture of dismay, indignation, and fear. Stories like those of Audrie Pott and Rehtaeh Parsons, two teens who recently committed suicide after they were allegedly sexually assaulted and cyberbullied after the attacks, and that of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old South Hadley, Massachusetts student who hanged herself after relentless bullying and cyberbullying, leave me wondering several things: How can kids be so cruel to each other? How can we teach our children that while electronic communication--texts, social media posts, emails--may make it easier for kids to inflict pain and spread vicious rumors and gossip because it's removed and not face-to-face, cyberbullying is just as harmful and scarring as (and sometimes even more damaging than) a slap or a punch or a kick? And, chiefly, at least in my mind, how can we as parents protect our school-age children as they grow older and are increasingly more independent and out there in cyberspace without constant and close supervision?

One of the most important things we can do in this tech-driven age we live in is to make sure we teach kids about bullying and cyberbullying. Teach your grade-school age child now what it means to be safe online and set up habits that will make your child safer as he navigates the wide world of cyberspace. Keep the computers in a central place in your home, monitor your child's online and cell phone activity, and talk to your kids now about cyberbulling. For more tips, read my article, "Cyberbullying and Grade School-Age Kids."

Related Articles:
• What is Cyberbullying?
• Internet Safety for Kids
• Social Media for Kids: How to Keep Them Safe
• Bullying in Schools

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Here's an easy and thoughtful gift idea for your child's teacher or teachers: notebooks, photo books, or journals that have been decorated with washi tape.

With this teacher gift idea, your child can add a personal touch to the present, and jazz up a plain-old notebook or journal with some pizazz. Plus, he can use his imagination to create a design that his teacher will love! Here's a step-by-step example of how to use washi tape to decorate books and journals.

Related Article:
• Great Ideas for Easy, Affordable Teacher Gifts

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Mother's Day is fast approaching. Here are some ideas for Mother's Day crafts for kids. From handmade cards to bookmarks and paper flowers and more, your child will delight in making these fun crafts for one of the people he loves most--Mom!

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It's approaching that time of the year again when we parents have to think about teacher gifts. These lovely vellum paper thank you cards are the perfect thing to include with your teacher gift. Your child will love making these beautiful cards and he can add his personal message to thank his teacher for everything she did this year.

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Children love making things for the people the love. That's why so many moms are presented with a cornucopia of crafts made with love with Mother's Day, especially when they have preschool or school-age kids.

Here are some ideas for easy but lovely heart paper punch washi tape bookmarks and an even easier washi tape bookmarks craft kids can make for Mother's Day. Kids will absolutely love making these bookmarks, and will be proud to give it to Mom for her day!

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Today marks the beginning of National Screen Free Week. Screen-Free Week, which used to be called "TV Turn-off Week," is a yearly event during which families, schools, and communities turn off screens (TVs, computers, iPads, etc.) and spend time engaging in non-screen-related activities such as playing outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends.

How will you and your family celebrate Screen-Free Week? How about enjoying the warmer spring weather and heading outside for some fun games in the park or backyard? Or snuggling together to read some great books for school-age children? No matter what you decide to do, challenge yourself and your kids to go screen-free this week.

Related Posts:
• A New Approach to Screen-Free Week
• Screen-Free Week - Are You Participating?

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In honor of Earth Day, I've compiled a list of my can't-live-without natural beauty products. I use these little miracle workers every day to help me look less tired, even when I'm running on empty on 4 hours of sleep. (Sadly, if you're a parent, you know exactly that special kind of exhaustion I'm talking about--the kind of foggy haze you have to wade through to face a day of work, dinner, and bath and bedtime routines after you were awakened several times during the previous night by a cranky baby, child having a nightmare, or throw-up AND pee on the bed (yes, that's happened to me, and more than once!)).

From concealer--aka the tired moms' BFF--to a lip shimmer to the right eyelash curler, a few natural beauty products and tools can make a big difference and help you look more rested, even when you are definitely not.

Related Articles:
• Timeless and Simple Beauty Tips for Moms
• Best Ways Parents Can Feel Good and Look Good
• Mother's Day Crafts

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Today marks the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. More than a billion people around the world will take part in activities and events centered around raising awareness and boosting action to protect our planet and tackle tough but urgent issues like climate change and conservation.

What will you and your family do today to commemorate Earth Day? For some ideas for how to live greener today and every day, read, "10 Great Ways to Help Your Child Go Green".

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• Green Lunch Box Ideas for School
• Green School Supplies
• 7 Smart, Stylish Green School Supplies
• How to Use Reusable Shopping Bags Safely
• 7 Top Ways to Save Gas

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One of the best things about washi tape is how beautiful the colors are. For this Mother's Day craft, I used an array of bright washi tapes to make hearts to adorn the front and inside of the Mother's Day card to make it pop. Kids will absolutely love making the hearts and gluing them on to create this card for Mother's Day.

Here are the step-by-step directions for how to make this washi tape hearts Mother's Day card with kids.

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As authorities work to investigate the bombings at the Boston Marathon today, parents should be mindful about exposing children--particularly young and school-age children--to too much news coverage.

Answer any questions they have, watch for signs of anxiety, and most of all, try to minimize their exposure to the news. With news outlets reporting that scores of people have been injured (with many sustaining grave and horrific injuries including loss of limbs) and at least two killed, including an 8-year-old child, the story out of Boston is incredibly sad and, quite frankly, scary, even for grown-ups.

Read my tips on how to discuss scary and tragic news events with your child and watch those news updates only after the kids have gone to bed. And let us all send our thoughts and prayers to those in Boston who have been affected by this horrible attack.

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