Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/268792
8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • March 2014 LETTER TO READERS PRODUCTION PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Elizabeth Jones Jordan, Quincy & Hayden's mom DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Leanne Dalton Justin, Steven & Rebeka's mom ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE Sheila Giscard; Jack's mom Jodi Urquhart; Noah & Carly's mom OPERATIONS & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom OFFICE MANAGER Nancy Massanat Emily & Kyle's Mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom CALENDAR EDITOR Leigha Pecher Jake & Luke's mom CIRCULATION Krista Starosta Nick, Andrew, Kaylin & Kensington's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Elizabeth Jones: Jordan, Quincy & Hayden's mom Pamela Quinones: Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton EVENT PLANNING & SCIENCE SATURDAYS Stephanie Maldonado; Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL lcdalton@fredericksburgparent.net E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & RESOURCE REQUESTS E-MAIL calendar@fredericksburgparent.net E-MAIL resources@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 • FAX 540/374-1672 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net publisher@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and condi- tions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2014 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. W hen I was a teenager (all those eons ago!) the most high-tech piece of equipment in our house was a typewriter that had automatic cor- rection tape installed. So instead of using the hand-held white out strips, you could just hit backspace plus the correct key to white out a mistyped let- ter. I even took that typewriter to college with me in 1988. I still remember my 2400-baud modem that allowed me to send emails across the world in 1996—we thought we were so high speed! Fast forward lots of years to our house with two teenage boys, and we have 11 devices we use to get online—that doesn't include the TV or the dVd player that both have Wi-Fi capability and can connect to netflix and Youtube. We are liv- ing in a tech age, and if you don't attempt to keep up with your kids, you'll be left in the proverbial dust as they race beyond your ability to understand what they are doing. We have done pretty well until our 10 th grader started an AP Computer Science class this year. We aren't qualified to help with homework in that class! My biggest piece of advice for all parents is to be aware of what your kids are listening to, with whom they are commu- nicating (and there are LOTS of ways to do that online!) and what they are downloading. Make them share their passwords with you, friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and lay out family ground rules regarding the down- loading of apps, music and books. Teach them how to search online effectively and efficiently (which might mean that you need to brush up on it yourself so you can teach them!) Have them research and read reviews of products they want to buy, or apps they want to download. If your kids are more tech-savvy than you are, have them teach you what they know. It will make them feel smart, and you'll get an invaluable education in the process! Most of all, keep the lines of communication open. Karen Charney is FredParent's webmaster. Her 15 year old son is perhaps the only kid at their high school who doesn't have a smartphone. His 16 year old brother only has one because his "dumb" phone died and he's borrowing someone else's. =) BY kAREn CHARnEY Raising Tech-Savvy Teens