Palmetto Parent 2009 November Issue : Page 14
tional love and the merits of long, hot bubble baths.Now, they’ve shown me a new world. I’m not yet sure if I like it. Since I practiced criminal law and have Wht rudoing? M y children have taught me a lot: patience, uncondi- written enough scary stories to keep me up at night for decades, I know the dangers that lurk online. Before I let my teenager join Facebook — she was, you know, the very last teenager on the planet to be al- lowed to join Facebook — I had to sign up and check it out firsthand. I even required that she make me her online friend, which will probably come up in therapy one day. What Should I Do If My Baby Has An Unusual Head Shape? Approximately 1 in 5 babies are born with head shapes that are less than perfect. Some babies develop unusual head shapes because their neck muscles are weak, tight,or have restricted movement. Still others develop flattening due to spending time on their backs during the day and night. If your baby’s head is unusual or misshapen,try changing your baby’s position during the day to prevent pressure on the back of the head.If your baby’s head shape doesn’t improve, ask your pediatrician if a specially designed STARband™ will help reshape your baby’s head.STARband treatment is safe and effective,and can reshape your baby’s head in just 3-4 months. My kids have shown me a whole new virtual world with Facebook, but I’m not sure if I like it Soon, I started getting friend requests from people I didn’t know. Then my friends gave me gifts. Gifts are good. I could use a new mixer, some office bookshelves and a hybrid car, in case you were wonder- ing. So far on Facebook, however, I have gotten virtual candy and plants.Maybe that’s for the best, since I won’t gain weight or cause a geranium’s untimely death. Still drowning in a sea of flair and quiz- zes, I joined Twitter. I tweet or maybe I twit; I don’t know.No virtual gifts and no pokes if I fail to respond to a comment, but it’s still a new way of life for me. I am torn. My daughter and her friends commu- nicate ev- erything in sound bites and quick thoughts of 140 characters or less. While I am (mostly) embracing social media,I wonder if my children will ever really appreciate the joys of a long conversa- tion over coffee, especially the kind where silences are never awkward and everyone finds time to linger over a second cup. Will my kids ever enjoy being alone and disconnected from the world, even for a short time? Will they abandon grammar and full sentences in favor of a quick note 2 lol @ wht u r doing? I’m trying to roll with it and be the cool mom who can adapt to the changing world. I refuse to be the mom who can’t program the DVR or keep up with my kids’comput- er skills.And the truth is, they are still kids, and not as savvy as they think. They need a parent looking on, in real life and online. Like every other season of parenting, this one requires me to step out and learn something new. And since I’m chaperoning, excuse me while I respond to my virtual friend. She needs to know which character from “The Breakfast Club”is most like me so she can send me the right piece of flair. ] (803) 771-6816 3010 Farrow Road • Suite 130 • Columbia, SC 29203 14 Palmetto Parent www.palmettoparent.com Chris Worthy is a regular columnist to this maga- zine. Address comments or questions to growing- together@chrisworthy.com November 2009
Growing Together - Wht r u doing?
Chris Worthy
My kids have shown me a whole new world, but I’m not sure if I like it
My children have taught me a lot: patience, unconditional love and the merits of long, hot bubble baths. Now, they’ve shown me a new world. I’m not yet sure if I like it.
Since I practiced criminal law and have written enough scary stories to keep me up at night for decades, I know the dangers that lurk online. Before I let my teenager join Facebook — she was, you know, the very last teenager on the planet to be allowed to join Facebook — I had to sign up and check it out firsthand. I even required that she make me her online friend, which will probably come up in therapy one day.
Soon, I started getting friend requests from people I didn’t know.
Then my friends gave me gifts. Gifts are good. I could use a new mixer, some office bookshelves and a hybrid car, in case you were wondering. So far on Facebook, however, I have gotten virtual candy and plants. Maybe that’s for the best, since I won’t gain weight or cause a geranium’s untimely death.
Still drowning in a sea of flair and quizzes, I joined Twitter. I tweet or maybe I twit; I don’t know. No virtual gifts and no pokes if I fail to respond to a comment, but it’s still a new way of life for me.
I am torn.
My daughter and her friends communicate everything in sound bites and quick thoughts of 140 characters or less. While I am (mostly) embracing social media, I wonder if my children will ever really appreciate the joys of a long conversation over coffee, especially the kind where silences are never awkward and everyone finds time to linger over a second cup.
Will my kids ever enjoy being alone and disconnected from the world, even for a short time? Will they abandon grammar and full sentences in favor of a quick note 2 lol @ wht u r doing?
I’m trying to roll with it and be the cool mom who can adapt to the changing world. I refuse to be the mom who can’t program the DVR or keep up with my kids’ computer skills. And the truth is, they are still kids, and not as savvy as they think. They need a parent looking on, in real life and online.
Like every other season of parenting, this one requires me to step out and learn something new.
And since I’m chaperoning, excuse me while I respond to my virtual friend. She needs to know which character from “The Breakfast Club” is most like me so she can send me the right piece of flair.
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