ChildControls.com - Keeping one step ahead!

Susan Paynter of the Seattle PI writes, "after interviewing countless parents, child-development specialists, psychologists and practitioners of juvenile justice over the years, I am convinced of this: Kids learn nothing at the other end of a hand, fist, belt or backscratcher except a sense of impotent rage that they are highly likely to pass on like an ugly, poisonous hand-me-down."

Full opinion piece at nwsource  

Kite flying is a great family activity and is fun for kids of all ages. Kites can be had for as cheap as $1. They should be flown only in parks and never near power lines. Its best to fly on slightly windy days for ease of flying. The following is an excerpt on kites from wikipedia on the history of kites .

Dear Amy: I really need a sane opinion. My 16-year-old daughter recently requested that I allow a "friend" to sleep over at our house.

The friend is a boy whom she is getting to know.

He lives about 30 minutes from our house. I said absolutely not and told her that I would be happy to drive him to our house and back.

She said that all of her friends' parents are allowing these sleepovers. Some are even allowing the boy to sleep in the girl's room.

Am I out of touch with reality or are these parents crazy?

Recently, I came across an article on disposable diapers and how the companies are pushing very hard to make it accessible in low income regions like India and China.

While i agree with some of the points raised in the article, I find it very hard to even think of using reuseable diapers on my kids. I agree that I could save some money by using reuseable diapers. I agree that the environment would be better off if i did. However, I do think that nothing can beat the convenience of disposable diapers.

A study on the origins of snoring seems to suggest that snoring may run in the family. The study focused on 681 children and found that children with at least one parent who snores more than three times a week, were three times more likely to snore themselves, compared to children whose parents did not snore frequently. The study also established some relation between allergies and snoring.

Snoring is also the most common symptom of childhood obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, which in simpler terms, is when a child has breathing problems while they sleep.

Recently I became aware of a charity, Clothes Off Our Backs, co-founded by the actress Jane Kaczmarek who plays the, ahem, difficult mother in the TV show Malcolm in the Middle. The other founder is Bradley Whitford who stars in the TV show, The West Wing. All proceeds from the charity go towards helping children all over the world.

The website has links to the current items being auctioned off, the charities supported by the project and the latest press releases. The site also has a donation link for direct donations. To share your good fortune, please visit the site to make a secure online donation to the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation.

Recently, Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, warned a class of 7th and 8th graders against illegal downloads.

"I hope you never have the misfortune to deal with me as a result of engaging in something you shouldn't be doing," he told the kids assembled at Windmill Springs Elementary school in San Jose, California.

What is the true extent of pornography on the internet? What is the demography of the porn surfers? What are its effects in a society? These and more questions are explored in the article.

Surveys within Great Britain have shown that more than a half of 9-19 years olds have seen pornography online. Some men who view pornographic content online do it as a way to pass time.

Gospel Champions(TM) is a new video game based on the various stories found in the Gospels. The action/adventure game will have instant messaging, email, repetitive play and other nifty features.

"We are excited and honored to partner with Silver Burdett Ginn Religion to create an innovative educational game for Gospel and Catholic learning," said Brian Mitchell, President of Third Day Games and a Catechist teacher. He added, "This partnership is a significant step in realizing our goal of using the popularity of games to keep our children connected to the Catholic faith in their daily lives."

Recently I came across these four or five animated cartoon series for kids based on various biblical stories. While I personally favor an open approach to religion for my own kids, I couldnt help but wonder if these would make religion fun for my kids.

With religion not being a big part of me, I wonder if these cartoons can infuse my kids with religious curiousity. After all, what is more entertaining, Moses in all his fury or being zoned out in church for 2 hours?

What would you say if a company uses references to a convicted paedophile to advertise its business to kids? Crazy right? Well, that seems to be exactly what lastminute.com seems to be doing.

The advert was emailed to Britons and showed two young boys' faces with copy "DOING IT FOR THE KIDS" and "Like Gary Glitter in a sweet shop, you too can have your pick of kiddy treats in London's theatre world".

A local travel agency says more parents are traveling with their kids now because of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The high school student from Alabama disappeared on a trip to Aruba last May. She has not been seen since. Some parents say they're going on spring break because they want to make sure their kids play it safe.

My first thought was, "What a great idea!". Why not make spring break like a family vacation. Would certainly keep the kids safe and secure. On reflection, it might actually be counter productive because my kids probably need to let out the tension and frustration that comes from going to college. And as we all know, family vacation only adds to the tension!

Newsday, February 25 - "S. DAKOTA LAWMAKERS OK ABORTION BAN. The South Dakota Legislature on Friday approved a ban on nearly all abortions, setting up a direct legal assault on the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure. Gov. Mike Rounds said he was inclined to sign the bill, which would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless it was necessary to save the woman's life.

Starting today, 25th February 2006, Child Controls is accepting articles relating to the theme of the Child Controls website (for ideas, view the different stories in each link above).

Articles may not exceed 1000 words length and must be the original work of the submitter. The contest will run for 2 weeks or more and the top three submissions will each get a free copy of Automatic Porn Eliminator and Game Controls Online!

Good Luck to everyone!

Articles can be submitted to child controls or may be submitted via the Submit Story link on the left.

From BBC News Service"Children who are anxious or depressed are more likely to use ecstasy when they are older, a study has suggested."

While an interesting bit of information, I could not help but wonder what practical value it has for parents. As a parent, i have to say that i have little or no control over the anxiety of my children.

I remember how a couple years ago there was a huge scare about how using cell phones in petrol stations would cause the petrol vapour to explode. Although I would not trust mythbusters on Discovery Channel a 100%, they did make a strong argument against such a scenario.

Is this concern by President Fred Gilbert of Lakehead university about wireless internet causing tumours just a hype? Or is it that the rest of the world and indeed my own university are being hasty in accepting wireless internet with open arms?

Gene Castelli from Columbus, Ohio writes: We think of the word “motivation” and its derivatives, and a picture comes to mind of the athlete being “motivated” to win, or the actor finding his “motivation” for the role he/she is playing, or being spell bound by a great “motivational” speaker. What we often don't remember is that every single aspect of life is guided by motivation or the lack of (often quickly followed by another term “failure”).

In a new poll, 57 percent of parents say "things are fine" with the amount of math and science being taught in their child's public school. High school parents seem particularly content, as 70 percent of them say their child gets the right amount of science and math.

Only half of children in grades 6 to 12 say that understanding sciences and having strong math skills are essential for them to succeed in life after high school.

For the first part of choices, click here
Gene Castelli from Columbus, Ohio writes: Life is based on choice. It is one of the most powerful single forces that guide our every step throughout our lives. You wake up, you choose what to wear. You choose what to eat for breakfast. You choose which shoe to put on first. So many choices.

With such obvious evidence that life is full of choices, it is amazing that so many people forget that they always have a choice.

The other day while browsing, I came across this article which goes over some of the ways to improve a child's study habits. While reading through the article I remembered how my parents were always active in my school education and how I do not know of many parents who take an active interest in improving their kid's study habits. I personally found "Regularity is a key factor in academic success"