My tip this week is to
Keep your teen’s computer in a highly visible place >>Listen
    
Do you concern yourself with how your teenager uses the internet? You should; and I imagine you do. But, do you allow your teenager to have a computer in her bedroom?  That is simply not a good idea.

Whether you are a technology wizard yourself, or a non-user, you can’t deny this reality: the internet, computers, and technology are transforming our lives. And technology will continue to transform the lives of our kids in many ways. I’ve heard it said that most kids in high school today will have jobs in 10 years that don’t even exist now.

Many teenagers seem to have an innate ability with this new technology, and they may be more comfortable with computers and the internet than you. But this doesn’t mean they should have free rein! In fact, because this is in many ways a new frontier it is especially important that kids have supervision and guidance.

The simplest way to do this is to keep the computer in a highly visible and central place so that you can have a general idea about what your teenager is doing on it. Let your teen know that you’ll be looking over his shoulder, and that you expect him to be spending his computer time appropriately.

Even if your teenager knows more about the computer than you do, and even though having access to one is expected by many kids  - and educators -  don’t be intimidated and don’t give away your power. At a minimum, teenagers need guidance and controls on how, how long and when they use the computer.

Be sure your teen knows that this is privilege not a right.

Thanks for subscribing to my Two-Minute Tips for Parenting
Teens…….

Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.