There’s nothing in the world more precious to us than our kids, and as parent’s we’re instinctively hardwired to protect them at all times. But as our kids get older and more independent, they become more and more blase about the risks to their safety all around them, and they don’t respond kindly to helicopter parenting. That’s okay, though, because you’re the kind of cool parent that knows how to keep a watchful eye from a distance and knows how to give your child the space to grow and develop without smothering them while still ensuring that they are safe from harm. Here are some easy but vital ways to allow you to do exactly that…
Embrace the power of apps
We find ourselves embracing the power of apps daily. We use them to share cat memes with our friends on social media, we use them to get takeout food delivered to our door… Why shouldn’t we use them to keep our kids safe? Since most tweens have smartphones these days, it’s easier than ever to keep track of them if you get worried. When kids are approaching their teenage years they get more social and thus spend more time outside of the house with friends. The Find My Kids App enables you to know where they are at all times, while also allowing you to set up a Geofence around your home or local area which will send you an alert when they breach this perimeter. Mamabear is another useful app that also allows you to track your child’s whereabouts but it also monitors their social media activity, notifying you if they are tagged in anything inappropriate or even if they use bad language.
Stay car smart
Whether we like it or not, our kids are never more at risk than when they’re in the car with us. That’s not an affront to your driving… Although it is always worth checking out adult driver’s education from American Safety Council (let’s face it, your journey as a driver only just begins when you pass your road test). Top notch driving skills, however, are only a small part of staying car smart when it comes to your kids’ safety. Even the car seat in which they ride plays an enormous part in their safety. Far too many of us either install our kids’ child seats incorrectly or don’t use an age appropriate seat. Isofix car seats are a worthy investment as they’re virtually impossible to fit incorrectly. Many of us also make the mistake of assuming that our children can come out of the booster seat when they reach the age of around 10 but that decision is actually determined by height rather than age. The correct height for a child to ride in an adult car seat is 4’9”.
Help them to stay web aware
Most youngsters use the internet through mobile devices making it difficult for parents to monitor the content they access. This does not, however, mean that they are beyond your protection when using mobile devices. Check out this guide to help you ensure that their online access is appropriate even when using a mobile device.