/ something Big is coming...

teenage parenting : cyberbully

Being a parent to a teenage or preteen child of today's world is so much more difficult than it was, say 20 years ago... heck, even 10 years ago. With the constant advances in technology and the ever expanding form of cyber communication life for our kids is much more complex. Gone are the days of simply calling your best friends after school and tying up the phone line until dinner. Now there is text, chat, messaging, camera to camera messaging, photo messages (not to mention the social media like Facebook and Myspace)... you name it, it is probably possible. This opens up so many opportunities for our kids to be zeroed in on and harrassed and bullied (not to mention the subject of predator). Statistically, i-SAFE states that:

Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.
More than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyberthreats online.
Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet.
Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs

Please take the time and Watch this:

If you have a teenage or preteen child, and / or in you are entertaining the thought of allowing your child access to the internet and cyber world please consider sitting down together and watching the ABC Family movie Cyberbully. This movie will help open the door to discuss the very real dangers of your child being 'online' and allow you to have an open conversation on what the guidelines and rules are within your household.

Personally, my 13 year old daughter has a laptop, and both my daughter and 12 year old son have an iTouch with internet capability. They do not have smart phones. We have set in place many strict rules, and both parents and kids know what those are. Unfortunately, just because you have set rules A) doesn't mean that they will always follow them and B) doesn't secure your kids from becoming victim to cyberbullying. We are parent's have to do overtime in monitoring what is sent via online, text and picture messaging, email, etc. It is ALOT of work and as much I don't want to say it, there are so many... too many parent's out there that DO NOT follow up with their kids cyber activities. I urge you to be proactive in protecting your child and guiding your child with the knowledge of what being online is all about.

America's Sheriff

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Andy Griffith has passed away, at 86.

I loved coming home from school to watch reruns of The Andy Griffith Show (I always wanted to live in Mayberry... still do).

As a family we watched every single episode of Matlock (and I still watch the reruns on TV, even to this day).

He was a Grammy winning Gospel singer.

He reminds me of my Dad.

Especially in this song.

Rest In Sweet Peace, Mister Andy Griffith.

Do you remember this post ...

The grim details are here ...

and this was suppose to be my family, my entire family.

The show airs this Friday. I will probably record it, and watch it when I can stomach it.

fill in the blank friday

1. On a scale from 1-10 the frequency with which I get sick is, a two, i think. i rarely get the flu or colds. but everyone knows, i tend to injure myself (back and neck issues) more often than i'd like to admit .

2. The last time I felt sick was lol, yesterday, after cycle class. i was so ready to puke, but does that really count? lol .

3. The worst part about being sick is having zero energy because life still moves around in a rapid pace, and if you slow down or stop, you'll get ran right over, then you gotta sprint to catch up .

4. When I am sick I like to be taken care of by my Mom, lol. when i am so sick (or in severe pain from injury) my Mom will come over and bring me soup and 7up, or stacks of dvds to watch. she's so good to me .

5. Something I do to keep myself healthy is exercise and eat clean (for the most part) .

6. A secret remedy that I use when I'm sick is to get lots and lots of sleep, and if it's a cold, lots of lemon tea with honey... just like my grandma used to give me when i was sick .

7. One thing that always makes me feel better when I'm sick is sleep, resting my body, hot tea, and warm soup .

Link Up At Lauren's!

obsessed: SMASH

Source: getglue.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Is anyone else totally into Monday night's hit show SMASH. I can not seem to get enough of it! I watch and rewatch episodes on my DVR. I listen to all the songs on Pandora and You Tube. I read and watch the exclusives... I love this show!