The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Tangerine Times founder has written a very timely Blog about the distressing news of kids and sexting/texting. Please take the time to become an educated parent and proactive in keeping your kids safe not only online, but with their cell phones. Source: Tangerine Times By Myrna L. This summer I’ve been working to expand my abilities into the video world. I was interviewed by a educational film maker about Social Media and teens (I will write more about this later). And, I’m excited to be part of a new video series about technology and kids (more on that later too). I’m also working on including a video component to my site which requires a little time and patience, both of which I’m in short supply lately due to our move. That said, I am excited to find new avenues to talk about teenagers and particularly their use of technology. What Do YOU Know? Frequently I get asked advice or “what do you wish you had known?” questions from parents of younger children. They are wisely looking to ...

Source: Tangerine Times A Hug; A New Teen "Hello?" I’m a hugger more than a kisser so I didn’t pay attention to this trend as much as maybe other people did. Now that it’s been written about and discussed , I guess I would have to agree that hugging is much more common with this generation of kids. And, by the way, does this increase effect teen-age boys as much teen-age girls? My son isn’t old enough (yet) for me to see the trend with boys. Will he start hugging when he gets in high school? I don’t know. At first, I thought it was a California thing to do….all the hugging was just left over “California summer of love” stuff. Evidently not. When did I first notice it? Hard to say. Mainly because it’s pretty common for teen girls to hug their friends hello, good-bye, when they are excited, when they are sad and well…anytime. Maybe I first noticed it when my daughter had a mixed group of friends over (when they were 14 or so) and when saying good-bye, she hugged both the girl...

Tangerine Times is a great website of articles and insights on parenting! It is definitely one of my favorites. What do teens want???? Can we as parents ever win? Since my kids are young adults now I can say, yes, eventually it does get easier. Patience..... Source: Tangerine Times For parents of teens, it’s an everyday experience to see the rapidly evolving use of technology by teenagers. The shifting can happen whether there is a new, hot product out our not. Many times it is simply teens finding a new application or use for an existing product or service. Marketing firms are scrambling to pin-down this potentially huge market but it’s like hitting a moving target. Well… now you know how it feels to PARENT a teenager!! Tina Wells, chief executive of Buzz Marketing Group, says: “Technology is starting to define what’s cool in a way that fashion used to define what’s cool.” For teens, “as long as it’s technology, it’s what’s hot”. Translation: the geek is not necessarily the un -coo...

What an interesting topic and in today economy many parents have to make cut-backs. However when it comes to our kids allowance, what are the limits? More important, what lessons can be learned? Our kids need to be aware that being responsible with money should be a priority. Source: Tangerine Times I AM NOT YOUR PIGGY BANK During the week-end wrestling tournament I sat with two other parents for the better part of 12 hours. It was an endurance test. I’m glad I went but it was a long time. You really get to know others when you spend that many hours talking. The talk turned to money. Specifically, how much allowance to pay a teen. One said they give their 17 year old son $150/month to be used for dates, extras and such. Frankly, given the financial position of this family, I was pleasantly surprised at their restraint. Additionally, their son is completely re-building a ‘66 Mustang for his car. Until it runs, he doesn ’t have a car. Good way to learn something don’t you think?? ...

O-kay, I am in Florida and have a soft spot for oranges and tangerines, but when I discovered a new Parenting Website that promotes today’s teen issues and parents concerns, I had to share it with you. Tangerine Times , created by Myrna Lantzsch , offers a variety of Parenting Tips, Articles, Blogs and more. Her motto: The Sweet and Sour Life with Teens. Recently Myrna wrote about Teens and Texting while Driving - and this is huge concern for many of us. We are hearing more and more how car accidents due to cell phone use are increasing, and we need to educate our teens of the dangers of using their phones while driving. Here is her follow up article: In an effort to provide additional information and updates on the subject of “Texting While Driving” post - I discovered this story on Salon.com. In the article, they discuss other technologies to aide with the “disabling” of a cell phone for texting purposes. Both of the companies discussed, (WQN, Inc. and Aegis Mobility) both utilize th...