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The Risk of Missing Teens May Increase During Summer Break

The one word that probably comes to mind for a teen thinking about summer is… freedom.

Summer is the time when strict school schedules fade away, the days get longer, and the sense of liberty feels the largest.

While it is a great feeling for teens, it can be nerve-wracking feeling for parents — and for good reason.

The FBI’s National Crime Information Center, also called NCIC reports that there were over 460,000 missing children reported in 2014, and some officials worry that the number of missing teens can rise during the summer months.

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Scheduling Problems

During the school year, teens are wrapped up in a tight, consistent schedule for most of their days and weeks. Parents can use a school schedule to know when and where their children should be.

But in the summer, teens — especially teens that may have their own vehicles or modes of transportation — aren’t as easy to keep track of. When a teen has an inconsistent schedule, it can be difficult for parents to track their whereabouts at all time.

Related Post: 5 Benefits of Using MamaBear to Monitor Teen Driving 

Sneaking Out

You may think you know where your teen is at all times. But are you really sure they are in their room watching TV or  sleeping?

In the summer, sneaking out into the warm night to hook up with friends can be exciting for teens so parents need to be extra vigilant about securing their house to know if their child slips out during the night.

Running Away

Parents also need to be extra aware of their teen’s whereabouts if they are going through a tough time. Teens are more likely to run away when experiencing a stressful situation.

According to EmpoweringParents.com, teens are more likely to run away if there is a dispute with their parents, fear of punishment for doing something wrong, or substance abuse problem.

Call Authorities Right Away If Your Teen Is Missing

If you can’t locate your teen, you do not need to wait 24 hours to contact local authorities.

In an interview with the KTAR New in Phoenix, Glendale Police Sgt. Jay O’Neill advised, “There’s a myth that there has to be a waiting period, 24 hours, or whatever it is. There’s no waiting period. We take missing children and other people that are at risk very seriously and so we would encourage people to immediately local law enforcement.”

Stop Your Teen From Being a Statistic

Communicate: Communication is key. Always talk to your teen before they leave the house. Find out where they are going, who they will be with, and what time they will be home.

Give Them Options: Teens are more likely to run away from home after a fight with their parents. If you and your child are having a rough time getting along, consider letting them stay at the house of a close relative, such as a grandparent. That way, the teen won’t feel like they need to run away to get space.

Keep an Eye on Their Social Media: Parents can learn a lot about their teens by checking in on their social media accounts. Use social media to monitor your teen’s plans and online friends. Pay close attention to any conversations about making plans to meet in person — especially if it is a stranger.

To extend the lines of communication between you and your child, you can use MamaBear, the app for Peace of Mind Parenting™. The free app, available for iPhones and Androids, gives parents tools to monitor the location of their child using GPS and sync up with their social media accounts.

With MamaBear, you and your teen can get back to enjoying a safe and free summer!

 

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Is Tumblr Safe: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Tumblr may seem like a perfectly safe social site. But parents needs to know the full story (and dangers) about this social sharing site that teens love.

It can be hard for parents to keep up with social media trends and sites used by teens these days. One of the more popular sites for blogs, photos and other social content is Tumblr.

In this post, we will tell parents what they need to know about Tumblr, a rapidly growing content-sharing site commonly used by teens. It looks harmless on an initial review, but it has some hidden dangers every parent should know.

What Is Tumblr?

Tumblr is often described as a “micro-blogging platform.” It is similar to a regular blog in that users can share “posts” that include a variety of media such as text, links, photos, gifs, audio, and video. It is called a “mirco” blog because each post is usually shared in snippets, content that is much shorter than a standard blog.
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Tumblr users can post to their blog, view posts from users they follow in their feed, and “reblog” posts from other users.

Tumblr is popular among teens and growing fast. Tech Times reported that in six months, Tumblr increased its active users by 120%. According to a report by Pew Research Center, many of those new users are girls. Just 5% of boys use the platform compared to 23% of teen girls.

It’s likely that your teen, especially your teen girl, is using the platform or will be soon.

Is Tumblr Safe for Teens and Should I Be Concerned?

All primary Tumblr profiles are public. There is no way to mark a profile or entire primary blog as private. To create a private blog that is password protected, users need to set up a secondary blog.

So even if your child creates a secondary private blog, their original primary account will always be public.

Tumblr has adult content. The site allows users to post explicit content on their blogs. While they do request that users tag their blogs as “adult-oriented” when it includes adult-themed content, they can’t guarantee that content will always be accurately tagged.

It is possible that adult-themed content can slip into your child’s feed.

What Should I Teach My Teen About Tumblr?

Show them how to hide adult content. Users can set their search so explicit content will not show in their search results using these directions from Tumblr.

Teach them how to mark their posts as private. While all primary profiles are public on Tumblr, users can set individual posts as private as a way to protect their information.

Explain how and when to block other users. Remind your teen when they should block someone and how to protect themselves from online strangers. Then, teach them how to block users when they need to.

Related Post: Protecting Your Kids From Internet Stranger Danger

Tell them you need to be involved. Parents should let their kids know that they need to be involved in their social media world. Let your kids know you will be reviewing what they post on Tumblr, not to snoop but to keep them safe.

Parents can also use MamaBear, the app for Peace of Mind Parenting™ to stay connected to their kids and review the activity happening on their social media accounts. The free app available is for iPhones and Androids and includes easy to use versions for parents and teens.

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Table Talk: A Survival Guide for Single Fathers Raising Daughters

To help dads who are doing it on their own, we have compiled a few discussion tips that dads can use while talking to their daughters.

Raising daughters is difficult. As girls grow, they are forced to deal with complex emotions, physical changes, and social situations. As a parent, you are right there beside them dealing with the same complicated challenges.

But it’s even harder to navigate with those situations while raising a daughter on your own — especially when you are a single dad.

Single fathers raising daughters face a unique challenge. They have to play both sides and fill the role of both mom and dad.

To help dads who are doing it on their own, we have compiled a few discussion tips that dads can use while talking to their daughters.

1. Compliment her on her accomplishments and character as much as her beauty.

Dads may think that the fastest way to improve their daughter’s self-esteem is to shower her with compliments about how she looks. But positive reinforcement shouldn’t stop at beauty.

Dads need to complement their daughter’s imagination, strengths, and intelligence as much, if not more than, her physical appearance. It’s more important to show girls that they are more than just a pretty face. The self-esteem and deeper character that this kind of reinforcement builds will serve her better in life.

2. Ask questions about her interests, hobbies, and friends.

As a dad, talking about Justin Bieber, Frozen, or the latest fad in nail polish may not be the ideal way to spend your dinner conversation. But if something interests your daughter, it should always interest you.

Get to know what goes on in your daughter’s world by asking her questions about her interests, hobbies, and friends. These are things she would likely share with her mom so make sure she has no problem sharing them with you instead. And don’t, under any circumstances, belittle her thoughts or dismiss her interests. Daughters respect their fathers and your interest, advice and support means the world to her.

3. Talk about successful, powerful woman.

If your daughter doesn’t have a positive female role model in her life, make sure that you expose her to some.

Tell her stories about inspirational women that are leading their industry, creating change, or making waves in a male-dominated field.

Make sure that she is aware of these stories and sees you support these women, and that you encourage her that she could do the same.

4. Teach her about respect and how it relates to sex.

A father’s natural instinct may be to discuss sex and boys from a negative standpoint. They want to tell their daughters that both are scary and dangerous. But dads need to talk about sex and relationships in a healthy way.

Don’t teach your daughter to fear sex and boys. Instead, teach her to respect her body and demand the same respect in relationships so she can make safe, healthy decisions when it comes to boys and sex.

Related Post: Helping Your Teen Avoid Risky Online Behavior 

5. Look her in the eyes and show her you are paying attention.

Kids crave their parent’s attention. So make sure you give your daughter the attention she deserves by ignoring other distractions (like after hours  work, phones, tv, etc.) and having one-on-one conversations where you look her in the eyes and show her you are there to listen.

Mom or dad, being a single parent is a challenge. You may sometimes feel like you are half the team playing the whole parenting game, but you are still the biggest and most important person in her life. And for those times it may seem a bit overwhelming,  help is out there. Seek out information, parenting groups, friends and other support to give you the confidence that you are doing the right things.

MamaBear, the app for Peace of Mind Parenting™  can help parents struggling to keep up with their children in a face-paced world. The app includes tools for monitoring social media, GPS locations of your children, and even safe driving speed monitoring. Parents have a big job, but that job is a littler easier with this free app available for both iPhones and Androids.

 

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How to Use Technology to Keep Your Sanity on a Travel Team Trip

Traveling with sport team

Balancing Safety & Independence: 3 Classic Summer Sports Travel Scenarios

This is a collaborative article written by TeamSnap and MamaBear

All-star games and travel team trips define summer for so many of our kids. Families load up the SUVs, fill the car full of snacks and hit the road to stay in hotels with teammates running the halls. The insanity can be fun, but it can also be overwhelming, with so many kids to keep tabs on. The trick is keeping calm and staying prepared.

Here are three no-fail scenarios to be prepared for when you’re on the road and off the field this summer.

Traveling with sport teamIt’s after the game and you’re ready to hit the sack, but the team is hanging out in the lobby and you get asked, “Can I go to the pool with Tommy?”

Things to consider . . . is your child a strong, independent swimmer? Will there be an adult chaperoning?  Make sure you lay down some ground rules like no wrestling or diving, don’t disrupt other swimmers in the pool and put some time constraints around how long he/she can be at the pool. If all else fails, go with them and volunteer to chaperone for 45 minutes. Your child will be delighted, and the other parents will thank you.

The team dinner at the local sports restaurant ends, and here it comes, “Can I ride back to the hotel with Bobby’s family?”

Your initial thoughts: how far is the hotel? Has Bobby’s parents had a beer or two at dinner? Do you trust Bobby’s parents? There are very clear reasons to say no, however an alternative is to invite Bobby to ride back with you and let your son or daughter control the music playlist on the way back. Roll down the windows and rock it out on the way back to the hotel.

Everyone’s starting to settle down for the night, but the kids are too excited at the prospect of all being together in a foreign place to relax. “Can I go to Sam’s room on the third floor with Jack?”

Must-ask questions include: what room number is Sam in? Are his parents in there? Who else is in there?  Then, verify. Talk to Sam’s parents and find out if it’s OK. Evaluate the situation before allowing them to run off.  Express the importance of not disrupting other hotel guests and not to go anywhere else without coming and asking you first. And don’t forget to review the good ‘ol stranger danger rules.

No matter what the scenario, let technology help you.

organize sports teamYou’re kids aren’t going anywhere without their devices, and you can use that to your advantage. Apps like TeamSnap and MamaBear help you keep tabs on the kids while letting them flex their independence simultaneously.

For example, the MamaBear app has a family map to share location, you can receive driving speed notifications and get clued in to social media activity. With TeamSnap Live!, everyone on the travel trip can use the Locker Room to communicate instantly to find out where the after-game dinner is, who’s chaperoning the pool or what room the late-night gathering is in. And for actual game time, Live! can be used to provide real-time game updates for those who couldn’t make the trip.

 

 

 

Features-Location-smallFind as many opportunities as you can to say yes this summer and give your child independence and social time with their teammates with safety in mind. It can make them a stronger team and offer social lessons without you peering over their shoulder.

And remember, you have the power of technology at your fingertips with your phone to stay connected and monitor activity proactively while offering your child desired independence. MamaBear is offering a free premium upgrade through the rest of the summer to TeamSnap customers. Register here and use promo code TeamSnap_WorryFree15.