Take Charge! Tweet Up from Cox

posted by Stacie on June 26, 2012 // 724 Comments »

Part of being parent is making choices when it comes to my kids and television programming. There are a lot of things my kids would love to watch but there are many things that I do not let them watch.

In fact, tonight my son asked me, “When will I be allowed to see a Rated R movie?” I looked at him and joked, “Never.” But then I thought better of it and asked why he wanted to see an R rated movie. I also asked if he had a particular movie in mind.

He told me that some boys at camp were talking about seeing Gladiator. He told me that he was planning to find it on Netflix that evening and watch it to see what they were talking about. That movie is something that made me cringe several times while watching and I cannot even begin to imagine my 9 year old watching it. That is just scary.

It was also a wakeup call to me to check to see what kind of parental controls we had on our Netflix account. I honestly had no idea but I know that I didn’t want him watching the movie or anything like it.

I had to explain to him that Gladiator is not appropriate for him. I also explained that I didn’t feel it was appropriate for those other kids either but I am not their mother or parent so I don’t have a say in what they do but I do have a say in what he does.

JOIN THE TAKE CHARGE! TWEET UP ON 6/28 – 6-7PM EST

The social media event is a one hour “Tweet up” taking place on June 28^th from 6-7pm EST in DC with John Walsh.

Participants: Child advocate John Walsh, educators, additional children’s advocates, Mom bloggers and non-profits (Boys & Girls Club) in the DC area, Blogger Leticia Barr (Twitter: @TechSavvyMama) as well as national exposure/support from LT Moms.

This Town-Hall Twitter event will be moderated by Miles Obrien—(CNN).

RULES OF THE ROAD FOR PARENTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

It can be incredibly tough to keep up with all this technology. But as all parents know, our kids learn from us — and not just from what we say, but more importantly from what we do. Even if we’re a bit clueless about our kids’ online and cell phone lives, we can still help them learn to use technology wisely.

The bottom line? Good, safe online and cell phone behavior begins at home. Here’s what you can do:

1. Model good behavior. If we’re on our Blackberries or iPhones at dinner, why will our kids listen to us when we tell them to turn theirs off?

2. Pay attention. Know where your kids are going online — and what they’re doing there.

3. Impart our values. Cheating, lying, being cruel – that’s just not OK. Right and wrong extends to online and mobile life.

4. Establish limits. Phone time, video download time, destinations. There really is a right time and place for everything.

5. Encourage balance. Get kids involved in offline activities, especially activities that don’t require or allow cell service.

6. Explain what’s at stake. Remind your kids that what they do today can be abused by someone tomorrow.
*Courtesy of the Cox Take Charge! Website

CHECK OUT THE TAKE CHARGE! WEBSITE

Time to Take Charge The Take Charge! web site (www.cox.com/takecharge) is a central repository of helpful information. For example, almost 60 percent of parents surveyed indicated that parental controls on cable boxes are the most valuable monitoring tool for TV, so the site features step-by-step instructions on activating those controls. Additional online tools include tips for responsible Internet, TV, and telephone use; a family media usage contract; a resource list to help identify good educational programming; links to valuable web sites; ongoing features on protecting families; and games, quizzes, and other fun offerings that educate children about safe usage practices.

WIN A $50 AMEX GIFT CARD HERE!

Now, you have the chance to win $50 towards your monthly cable bill to help you use the important tools, toward digital equipment for you or your kids, etc. Share with me your best tip for child safety on the internet and/or on responsible TV viewing. Leave your comment below as your first, mandatory entry. Comment must be relevant and make sense. If you cut and paste another entry on this blog, your entry will not count.

BONUS ENTRIES FOR EXTRA CHANCES TO WIN

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Enter any of my other giveaways– take five entries for each contest you enter.

Blog about the giveaway as a separate post and link to thedivinemissmommy.com. Leave the link to your post in the comment.

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2 ENTRIES:

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Giveaway ends 07/22/12 at 11:59 PM EST. Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US only. Winner to be chosen at random. All entries must be properly recorded in the comments to count (i.e. Link to tweets, Facebook page, etc). Winner will be notified via email and has 24 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen and notified.

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Disclosure: I am a compensated participant in this campaign.

posted in Tech