Tag Archives: safety
Poolside Safety for Young Children
As we discussed yesterday, pools are a great way to entertain and cool off during the summer months. Parents with small children need to take extra precautions to keep their children safe.
So whether you have your own private pool or visit a community one, there are a few things that everyone should keep in mind as they head poolside.
Toddlers are fast! Parents sometimes underestimate just how quickly these little dynamos can move from Point A to Point B. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that simply supervising them is enough to keep them safe. Continue reading
4 Food Safety Tips for Summer Living
Summer is possibly the most popular season of the year. And why not? Longer days, outdoor activities and lots of good food to eat. Unfortunately, summer is also known as a food-borne illness season.
The warm temperatures of summer are the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive in the kitchen. And the backyard cookout can be another environment that encourages food contamination and the possibility of food poisoning.
Here are four tips on keeping your food safe this summer so that you don’t miss a second of the fun: Continue reading
National Missing Children Day – Are You Prepared?
Today is National Missing Children Day. No parent likes to consider the possibility that their child can be stolen from them. From the time that we bring them into the world, we spend our time, energy, and resources to make sure that they are safe. But the unnerving truth is that children regularly disappear. And none of the reasons are good.
National Missing Children’s Day is your chance to play a part in finding missing and exploited children. Unfortunately, child abductions can happen to any child, any family. No one is immune to child predators. And although we can’t stop each and every predator, we can promote awareness and education to help you and your children to guard against it. Continue reading
Virtual World Primer for Parents
Not that they’d admit it, but your teenagers have learned a lot from you over the years. They learned the proper way to cross the street, not to talk to strangers, “Say ‘No’ to Drugs” and many other safety lessons. But there’s one more lesson that they need to learn. They need to learn about cyber-safety.
With the popularity of virtual worlds children and teenagers alike are living in multiple realities. These virtual worlds range from the cute and cuddly Webkinz world to the intensity off the World of Warcraft. And although the subject matters are vastly different, the inherent dangers are the same.
Regardless of which virtual world your child “resides” in, as a parent it’s important for you to understand the dynamics within it. Social sites that are designed for younger kids, such as MyTinyPlanets, ensure that cyber-bullying cannot take place by having pre-written phrases as the only means of communication as well as keeping the children anonymous to each other.
But as your child grows, the latitude that older communities also grows. But it’s important for you, as a parent, to understand that even if these cyber-universes are totally foreign to you, that you are still the best person to protect your children’s interest. All you need is a little handbook on what dangers your children face and how you can help them survive the potholes inherent in any community.
A great place to start learning about cyber-safety for children as well as teens is called Connect Safely. They keep a finger on the pulse of all things related to safe internet usage for children and teens. They have a sections chock full of information for parents as well as teens. And their No. 1 safety tip for virtual worlds, as for anything else, is good parent-child communication. By having low-key, routine discussion about online experiences, just as with offline ones, makes it easier for them to talk with you when things come up.
So instead of allowing your eyes to glaze over while your little ones (or big ones) regale you about their exploits online, take the time to really listen and learn. This will put you in the best position to protect and serve your children both in the real and cyberworld.
