AMERICA'S WEB RADIO-LISTEN TO STACY DeWITT

Looking for an honest perspective on teenage life
and the choices teens make?

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Monday, May 24 at 1 p.m. EST
America's Web Radio
Book Talk with Ginger and Lisa
is featuring
Chandler DeWitt
Teen author of
Inside Out: Real Stories about the Inner Choices That Shape our Lives
and
Stacey DeWitt
National Speaker and founder of Connect with Kids

This is a provocative program that you and
your kids won't want to miss!

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Chandler DeWitt just finished her freshman year of college. She wrote Inside Out: Real Stories about the Inner Choices That Shape our Lives with hopes that its stories and information would help teens be true to themselves and resist the dangerous choices young adults often face.

Stacey DeWitt, Chandler's mother, speaks around the country to parents, teens and educators. She is the founder and CEO of Connect With Kids, which produces television documentaries and educational programs to help parents and educators discuss tough teen issues: bullying, drugs and alcohol, Internet safety, and trends such as sexting, anxiety, addiction.

100 Text and IM Shortcuts So You Can Communicate With Your Kids

Hey Parents! It's time to jump on board. We may look over our kid's shoulders while they are IMing (instant messaging) and see a very strange language; POS (parent over shoulder).

We may check out the text messaging history on their phones and see things like LMAF, SYL, WE, 411, BZ and the like when all we know is ASAP! Print off this handy guide and decipher the code. Be aware, that when parents use these abbreaviations it is so uncool. However, it is a really good idea to set yourself up to text, IM, facebook and get "online" with the technology. Why should you be left out of the loop? If you've ever asked yourself, "Should I have my kid's passwords to their accounts?", the answer is a resounding YES! The hard part is to know how many accounts they have. They're all free so, there are definitely decoys out there for parents. Also, the terms of social networking sites (Facebook, My Space...) state that you need to be at least 13 years old to open one. Use this tool if your 12 year old just has to have one. Before your teen gets their own phone or facebook, set out the ground rules ahead of time. Talk about bullying, sexting, preditors, and giving out personal information and giving up their phone or computer if they can't handle it. Then, have fun with it. Social networking is a great way to communicate if it is done smartly.
http://shortcutsleuth.com/family/communication/100-text-and-im-shortcuts-so-you-can-communicate-with-your-kids/

INTERNET SAFETY

Brian Runk of Headquarters Counseling Center in Lawrence gave a very informative seminar Thursday Feb. 19th. Teens are suseptable to harassment and bullying online. There is also a trend of "sextexting" among teens. We parents need to be aware of these trends, the legalities involved, and signs it may possibly be happening to their child. Most cyberbullying goes unreported. It becomes a heavy burden to bear. Take a look at Brian's link below to get the facts to keep our kids safe. http://www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us/Services/Youth_and_Parents/parents/safety/index.html

INTERNET SAFETY

If you can't make the INTERNET SAFETY PARENTING SEMINAR FEB. 19th, here are a couple of web sites with good advice on safe web surfing for teens.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html
http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/safebasics/internet_safety.html