'Mindful Parenting' Reduces Stress, Aids Communication

By Alyssa Martina, publisher, Metro Parent Magazine

Mindfulness is having a heightened presence of mind. It means moment-to-moment awareness through paying attention, being intentional, focusing on the here and now. Applying mindfulness to parenting yields positive results for parent and child.

Engaging in "mindful parenting" can be one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family—and yourself. It allows for deeper, more meaningful connections with your children and relieves a lot of the stresses associated with parenting. Some tips:

• Focus your complete self on your child. Pay attention and force yourself to listen attentively. If you find your mind drifting, pause and bring your attention back to the present moment.
• Take a 10-minute break two to three times a day to write down your lists: groceries, things to do, people to call, and general reminders. Use these times to collect your thoughts about things that need to be done in the future, so they don't invade your time with your children.
• Children often live in moment-to-moment experiences like exploring the backyard or splashing in the tub. Their expressions of awe, frustration, anger, sadness or sheer joy capture how they're feeling at any given moment.

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Guiding Your Family's Cell Phone Use

Cell phones are so prevalent and so sophisticated that state and local governments have begun to regulate their use and the court system has to determine their effect on jury trials. So is it any wonder that families and schools need to set some ground rules too?

Cell phones can make communication within families a lot easier, but children can also use cell phones to access the Internet or to send pictures and videos to friends, and they don't always think about the consequences of sharing something inappropriate, or about expensive charges they may be racking up. Students must also follow school rules regarding when, where, and how cell phones can be used. Read on for tips to ensure that your family uses cell phones safely and responsibly.

Cell phone safety tips:

• Learn how to use the phone with your child.
• Ask your cell phone carrier about parental controls.
• Research your school's policy for cell phone use.
• Talk to older children about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving.

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Being Smart With Facebook

By The Online Mom

To coincide with its fifth birthday, Facebook recently announced that it now has a staggering 175 million active members around the world. (Facebook defines an active member as one that has used the service some time in the last 30 days – a pretty fair measure.)

The huge membership roll gives us a better perspective on the occasional problems that come up with the service and which are eagerly jumped on by the press. For example, much was made of the recent announcement that Facebook had purged over 5,500 registered sex offenders from its membership lists. Now, one sex offender is one too many as far as I am concerned but if you consider the fact that they represent a mere 0.0032% of the active membership then it doesn't seem quite so threatening.

The reality is that millions of teens, college kids and now parents are happily logging onto Facebook to connect with close and not-so-close friends and family, post pictures and videos, swap comments and messages, and generally use the service exactly as the founders intended.

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Prom and Graduation Season

The police department has partnered with the Howard County Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Council to remind students and parents of the legal and safety consequences of underage drinking, particularly during prom and graduation season. This time of year, the Howard County Police Department often sees tragedies affecting young people, particularly in vehicle crashes. Too often, these collisions and other dangerous activities involve the use of alcohol.

Each year, Howard County loses more people in fatal vehicle collisions than homicides. Many people killed in those collisions are between the ages of 16 and 20, which is the group at the highest risk for a fatal crash. Sadly, alcohol can play a role in these serious crashes.

Teens should know that buying alcohol under the age of 21 can result in multiple criminal charges, including alcohol possession, misrepresentation of age to obtain alcohol and possession of a fake ID. Each charge carries a $500 fine and violators must appear in court. Consuming alcohol while driving and driving under the influence each carry fines of $500 and, for a DUI conviction, the loss of license for 60 days or more. Young people driving with provisional licenses must be conviction-free for 18 months before they are eligible to obtain a driver’s license.