Teens & tweens
Video game design for kids
Teens & tweens, Fun & activities, Education, Toys & games, Gadgets & tech
Video games and kids -- you can argue about whether or not they make a good combination, but there's no question that the latter loves the former. But even if you don't approve of playing video games, writing them is certainly a different story. Only, how the heck does a kid learn to do that? Well, in North Carolina, they can do it by going to the library.The main library in Charlotte, North Carolina is offering kids a summer workshop where they can learn the rudiments of video game design. Students have to decide where to place objects in the game, how high characters can jump, and how non-player characters react to the players' characters. Naturally, the four-day sessions only touch on high-level concepts, but they serve to get kids interested and off to a good start.
Kids like video games and learning to create them is a great way to get kids interested in software development -- a fun (for the first twenty-five years or so, anyway) and lucrative career path. It's great that the library is offering this introduction; I only wish it was the norm rather than the exception.
Parents pinch pennies for back-to-school shopping
Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Money & work, In the news, Education
Gas prices, food prices, a lazy stock market, heck, even my dog's food increased in price significantly last month. There's no denying it, the cost of every day living is on the rise, and families are feeling it in their pocketbooks. That might not be good news to retailers, most of whom are gearing up right now for the back-to-school season. A whopping 90% of parents who completed an online survey said that they'd change their shopping habits this year, while 71% said they'd spend less, and 83% said they'd cut back on new clothes.I can almost hear the protesting teenagers now.
As a mom and a grown woman, the pragmatic me says, "Kids don't need new clothes in July (or September, for that matter). Why not wait until they weather cools down, or even until Christmas?" The teenager who still lives inside of me, though, cringes. I remember needing that "perfect" outfit for the first day of school. My own daughter is young enough to be thrilled by a new backpack and some sharp looking pencils (as well as the dozen other items her teacher will likely require), but I know my day is coming when how much we spend on school clothes will be an issue at my house.
Will your back-to-school budget be affected by the economy this year?
Will Ferrell's mom dealt with bullies
Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Life & style, Weird but true, Environment, That's entertainment
Bullying, unfortunately, is a fact of life for many kids. Even funny man and former Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell had to deal with bullies. The star of the soon-to-be-released Step Brothers says when he was a kid he was taunted by a neighborhood bully.
This teenage bully was unique in that he threatened to shrink Ferrell and even carried around a vial of some sort of powder to prove he was capable of doing so. Ferrell claims he was so traumatized he had nightmares about being shrunk. Hopefully he didn't watch the televised presentation of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. That would have pushed him over the edge!
Who came to the rescue? Says Ferrell, his mom eventually made the kid come clean that the powder would not, in fact, shrink anyone. Ferrell grew up to be a major star. The bully? Who knows. But I wonder who's feeling small NOW! Moral of the story? We all deal with bullies and we all get past it. If we're lucky our moms will set things straight and, if we're really lucky, we'll grow up to be household names. Take that, bullies!
Best parenting advice from grandmothers
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens
I have always sought the advice of mothers I admire, especially grandmothers. For parents like me who are in the thick of it, the wisdom of women who can see and reflect on the big picture is an invaluable asset. With five children under the age of nine, I am very busy and thus guilty of "short-term" parenting. You know, sweating the small things, not savoring fleeting moments, and other things that happen when we fail to look at the long picture. There's nothing like a conversation with a smart grandmother to put my parenting in perspective.
Just as important as the advice on what to do have been the cautionary tales on what not to do. One grandmother I know wished that she taught her sons to clean up. Their messy habits made them lousy roommates in college and in marriage. Another grandmother friend of mine regrets getting lax about hiding presents at Christmas time. She advised me to go to extraordinary lengths to keep Santa going, because "Christmas was never the same until I had grandkids."
For this column, I talked to my favorite grandmothers, including my own mother, and asked them to give their best advice for mothers. Here's what they had to say:
Mom uses internet to diagnose daughter's disease
Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Medical conditions
It's like an episode of mystery diagnosis. Thirteen-year-old Danielle Fisher got sick last fall and got progressively worse until she was unable to even get out of bed without suffering from vertigo and shortness of breath. Doctors weren't any help, offering up guesses ranging from Epstein-Bar virus to a tumor; one even suggested that all she needed was a psychiatrist. So Danielle's mom decided to do some research of her own.She searched the internet for Danielle's symptoms and came up with a surprising answer: Lyme disease, caught from a tick bite. After checking with an expert, she is now on a proper course of treatment but if the disease had been left untreated, Danielle could have faced nerve damage, paralysis, and blindness. As for her mom, she says that "this disease is a lot more common than people think and I just want to make people aware of it."
While the internet is by no means a perfect source of information -- there is plenty of misinformation out there -- it is useful for research which can then be provided to a doctor. I know that if my kids get sick or start acting odd, I start checking the internet for information. I think you do, however, have to take anything you find with a grain of salt.
Menthol used to hook kids
Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Life & style, In the news, Environment
Say what you will about a smoker's right to light up in his car or her own home, but I think we can all agree that underage smoking is wrong, wrong, wrong. a new study suggests that menthol cigarettes are specifically formulated to attract and snag young smokers (and the keep the adult smokers hooked for life).
Menthol cigarettes are the minty ones, you know, the ones most like candy. they're also easier for a young system to tolerate than regular cigarettes. According to a new study out of Harvard, manufacturers of menthol cigarettes are using this information to nab the "vulnerable population." As smokers get used to menthol, like with pretty much anything else, they naturally prefer a stronger flavor or sensation.
The research also indicated that nearly fifty percent of smokers between the ages of twelve (yes, you read that right, TWELVE) and seventeen prefer menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes make up about 28% of overall cigarette sales per year. There's no need to do the math here to realize that a big group of kids is smoking these cigarettes. Those who participated in the study are urging for stronger legislation. Phillip Morris, the company who owns Marlboro Milds, a milder form of menthol cigarette, deny such allegations, as does its parent company, Atria. Lorillard, owner of the best-selling Newport brand of menthol cigarettes, also denied they lure young smokers.
Cig pic by wetwebwork.
Books to get age limits?
Teens & tweens, In the news, Education, That's entertainment
Who should decide whether a book is age appropriate for your child? Is it you? Is it her teacher? How about the librarian? What about the entire education system? Or, perhaps the publisher? In a move that is sure to gain controversy, publishers are attempting to put age-appropriate information on the covers of their books.
The guidelines would be much those of the movies, which determine what may or may not be appropriate for someone of a given age. Authors among others are vehemently against such guidelines. Among them is none other than J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books (the movies of which naturally are advertised with such guidelines). Also among them is Philip Pullman, the author of the His Dark Materials books on which the movie the Golden Compass was based.
Pullman perhaps put it best when he said that by adding age limits it would exclude a group of readers and that he doesn't want to do that. I would imagine the last thing an author would want is to have fewer readers of his books! Look, I read Clan of the Cave Bear when perhaps I was a little too young to fully understand it--but I turned out all right. I think books are different than movies, somehow, but I can't put my finger on it. I don't know how I feel about age guidelines for movies--those don't mean anything anymore as the studios use them to get more viewers--but I can't say I champion the idea of putting restrictions on books. Henry Miller will spin in his grave!
Pic by Nils Geylen.
Penis costume calls for an apology
Teens & tweens, Weird but true, Education
In most high schools, senior pranks are par for the course. Every year, graduating classes across the country try to top their predecessors with the most outrageous stunts they can come up with. Most pranks are harmless enough, but even those can get you in trouble.19-year-old Calvin Morett had what I'm sure he thought was a great idea for a harmless prank for this year's Saratoga Springs High School graduation ceremony. He dressed up in a 6 foot tall penis costume and ran across the stage spraying Silly String on the audience. His prank was a hit on YouTube, but not so much with the attendees of the ceremony.
Earlier this week, a judge ordered Morett to write a formal apology to the city of Saratoga Springs. He must pay to have that apology printed in the local newspaper as well as perform 24 hours of community service to atone for his deed.
I watched the video and I thought it was pretty funny. But it wasn't the most important day of my kid's life, so I can see where some parents might not have seen the humor.
Cell-phones as 'mom-avoidance' devices
Just for moms, Teens & tweens, Gadgets & tech
When answering machines first became affordable, I ran right out and got one. How great to be able to communicate with others without having to actually talk to them! These days, of course, our options for impersonal communication have increased. With the advent of email, instant messaging and text-messaging, one could conceivably go for days without actually having to speak to another person. According to this article, such non-verbal communication has big-time appeal for the average teenager.Stephen Saiz, manager of consumer insight and strategy of the Walt Disney Internet Group's North American mobile division, says that text-messaging has become a handy parent-avoidance device for many teens. "Teens are pushing their parents to go on mobile because they don't really want to communicate with them directly," he said.
Because of this, more and more parents are jumping on the texting bandwagon. Saiz says that most of the older people using their cell phone mobile applications are mothers who were pushed into the world of texting by their kids. And why don't kids want to talk to mom on the phone? Saiz believes it is due to the fact that they are busy pursuing much more important activities: playing video games and hanging with their friends.
Does this happen to you? Do you call your child's phone only to end up in voice mail? Does your kid respond to you with a text message? Is this okay with you?
Barbie gets leather and fishnets
Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, In the news, Weird but true, Toys & games, Shopping & recalls
Barbie has always provoked strong emotions in some, but with the introduction of Bratz dolls, she seemed downright quaint. Well, she is quaint no more. With Mattel's September release of a doll based on the DC comic superhero Black Canary, Barbie is going to find herself back on the naughty girl list.Clad in black thigh-high leather boots and gloves, fishnet stockings and a motorcycle jacket, this S&M Barbie is stirring more than little girls' imaginations. A spokesman for the religious group Christian Voice finds this sexed-up plaything to be just too much. "Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far. A children's doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it's filth."
I agree that perhaps this isn't Barbie's best look and wouldn't buy it for my kid. But that won't be a problem because she doesn't want Black Canary. When I showed her this photo and asked for her opinion, she looked aghast. "She's not wearing any pants!" she exclaimed. Good girl.
The rise of post-apocalyptic literature -- for kids
Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, That's entertainment
Humanity has done its best to destroy itself, but didn't succeed completely -- a few plucky individuals have survived and have banded together to rebuild society... It's not an uncommon theme; in fact post-apocalyptic tales are a whole sub-genre of science fiction, with recent films like the Terminator, Matrix, and, of course, the Mad Max series bringing them to the mainstream. These darker tales can be fun, exciting, and even enlightening.What's new about the genre, however, is the number of such stories aimed at kids. Jeanne DuPrau's "Books of Ember" series, for example, coming to the big screen soon and featuring Bill Murray, is about a group of kids who have to figure out how to survive and save their civilization. It's aimed at pre-teens. Even Pixar's Wall-E is a sort of post-apocalyptic tale, with the title character doggedly trying to clean up a world too polluted for humans to live in.
So are these darker tales appropriate fodder for kids? "We have more ways of ending the world than we had before," explains DuPrau. "These are big, hard truths that are facing kids, and they need to know these things."
"There's a direct connection between things [kids] may do and the end of the world," notes author Michael Grant, whose novel "Gone" tells the story of a world where everyone over the age of fourteen has disappeared and the kids are left to fend for themselves. "When I was a kid hiding under the desk from Russian missiles, no one ever said, 'Here, Michael, here's what we need to do to avoid that'."
In reading books like this, I always focused on the adventure of post-disaster survival, rather than the lessons to be learned from the disasters and ensuing chaos, but perhaps kids need these lessons more these days. We do have a lot hanging over our heads now -- economic collapse, war, political instability, global climate change -- so perhaps kids do need an outlet for dealing with the word as it is today.
The pressure of being a teen
Teens & tweens, Money & work, Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, Life & style, In the news, Environment, Media, Gadgets & tech
Every generation thinks they have it tougher than the one before. And, you know what? They probably do. Like the new iphone, every generation is expected to be smarter, faster, better, and thinner than the last. So it is with teenagers, teenage girls to be exact. It's no newsflash to anyone who's ever been a teenager that being one is full of pressure. I remember an ad I saw in a women's magazine when I was a teen that resonates with me to this day: You can never be too rich or too thin (bonus points to any of you who remember what product that ad was selling).
Current research shows that not only such magazines but now too the wonderful world wide web are contributing to making girls feel miserable with regard to being, well, as rich and as thin as possible. In the Generation Under Stress Report, two out of five teenage girls felt more poorly about themselves after looking at pictures of models, music stars and actresses in magazines. And the pressure doesn't end there. Girls also reported feeling pressure to act and dress more like adults, to be sexually active before they were ready and to invest in expensive material items like Ipods, cell phones and brand-name clothing and accessories (what teenager NEEDS a Prada bag?). Add that to the eating disorders and bullying and you have a recipe for disaster.
So what do we do? Send our teenage girls off to the convent? If you have the answer, please let me know--I am about to have a daughter and am feeling the pressure before she's even been born. Not too long ago I saw a onesie that said, "Does this outfit make my butt look big?" HELP!
Pic of thin woman by The Gentle.
Virgin Mobile asks kids to strip for charity
Teens & tweens, Health & safety, In the news
It guess it sounded like a good idea on paper: a national campaign to collect clothing donations for homeless youth featuring non-homeless, fully-clothed youth. Except for the part where the clothed youth are supposed to take their clothes off. Sponsored by cell-phone company Virgin Mobile and National Network For Youth (NN4Y), the Strip2Clothe campaign asks young people to make a video of themselves stripping and post it online. Clothing companies then donate new clothes based on the number of times the video is viewed.This strip-tease idea doesn't sit well with some of the organizations the campaign is intended to benefit. Catholic Charities, among other groups, has complained saying the effort is inappropriate and that it exploits young people. Rebecca Lentz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, is especially horrified because she says that it isn't uncommon for kids who find themselves on the streets to be sexually exploited within days of becoming homeless.
Victoria Wagner, chief executive of NN4Y, says the program is now being re-evaluated. "It's unfortunate it's become so explosive," she said. Unfortunate, indeed, since many of those who are complaining are members of NN4Y and were not informed of the campaign before it kicked off.
To be fair, the rules for video submission stipulate that there is to be no full nudity and the videos I viewed were in no way risque. Like it or not, the campaign appears to be going quite well - the site reports close to 150,000 donations so far.
Racy submission shots: is this how you'd want your kids to "donate?"(click thumbnails to view gallery)
Teens turn bugs into cash
Teens & tweens, Money & work, Weird but true, Shopping & recalls
We all know that when life you gives you lemons, you are encouraged to make lemonade. But when life gives you an infestation of cicadas, what should you do? Make jewelry, of course.That's what 17-year-olds Katheryn Maloney and Brady Cullinan did recently after their Massachusetts town was overrun with the insects. After the summer bug bash was over, the enterprising pair paid their friends to collect the little dead bodies. They then sprayed the cicadas with lacquer, dyed them pretty colors and strung them on wires with sea glass and beads to create one-of-a-kind earrings and necklaces.
The results are either beautiful or totally gross, depending on your own personal ick threshold. Me, I could never relax with a pair of dead insects hanging on either side of my head. But clearly there are those who have no problem with wearing wearing bugs as jewelry: the teens made over $200 at a farmers market and a local shop purchased some of their creepy creations as well.
I think these teens are great. Not only are they creative entrepreneurs, they also recycle!
Teen's braces save his life
Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Weird but true
Most kids wear their braces grudgingly. The pay-off for the pain is usually a long time coming and teens aren't known for their patience. But there is at least one kid who got more than he bargained for from his braces, and he didn't have to wait years for it.Police in Pontiac, Michigan say that 18-year-old Anthony Pittman's braces probably saved his young life. Pittman was among a group of teens who got into an argument that turned into a gunfight. At least three different weapons were fired and a bullet from one of them - a .45 caliber - hit Pittman in the mouth. Police believe that Pittman survived the injury because his braces fragmented the bullet.
"We believe what happened is that the bullet was split, in part by the braces, so it fragmented and continued into his mouth, tongue and teeth," said Pontiac police Capt. Wendy Keelty. "But because it was fragmented, it didn't penetrate through the back of his neck.
Pittman didn't escape completely unscathed. He is currently in critical condition with a mouth full of broken teeth and a severely injured tongue. He may not end up with straight teeth, but hopefully the experience will lead him to straighten out his life and choose some better kids to hang with.
