RVES and RVMS had student assemblies on March 21st to promote kind behavior and self-confidence in students. The presenter, Nate Webb, is with SAVE THE KIDS. He gave presentations to students and spoke about kindness, resilience, social media and more. He shared real life experiences and how they taught him to love and respect others. Mr. Webb discussed kindness and how kindness can change lives for those who need it most. Mr. Webb left the students with a reminder: I am STRONG, I am LOVED, I will ALWAYS be ENOUGH, I WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH!
Mr. Webb also spoke at a Night of Education for all parents later that evening in the auditorium (see flyer that was distributed). Mr. Webb started by discussing good parenting techniques such as giving your child lots of hugs, filling their emotional cup, and giving unconditional love. He also discussed the need for conversations with children about hard topics; these conversations should occur naturally- it doesn't have to be a scheduled thing- and should occur frequently so that they aren't being taught incorrect things from outside influences. Mr. Webb emphasized that parents should be a safe place for children to go to when they make mistakes. As parents our knee-jerk reaction can often be to freak out or start doling out consequences. When we do this, it can cause our children to avoid sharing anything difficult with us in the future. So as hard as it may be, it's important to maintain your cool and speak but also *listen* calmly and rationally with our children when they open up with us about hard topics.
Mr. Webb then focused the second half of the presentation on the pitfalls of access to smartphones and the harms of social media. Some startling facts:
- New Snapchat accounts are set up to allow tracking down to the house number!
- 100% of child sexual abusers questioned in a certain prison had Snapchat accounts
- Safeguards set on phones by parents can easily be bypassed by children in sneaky ways (time zone changes, downloading of apps created for the exact purpose of allowing children to hide things from parents, creating an account and using it on their friend's phone, etc.)
In summary, social media can be used by predators in very scary ways; phones can be used for bullying and causing harm to others; social media can be distracting and cause mental health issues; parental safeguards can often fail. The safety net is creating healthy boundaries and a healthy relationship with your child.
Mr. Webb gave recommendations for tech boundaries in the home: 1) devices are NEVER allowed in bedrooms, 2) devices have a bedtime and so does the wifi, 3) devices should have a central charging location in a main area, 4) parents get to go through the phone whenever they want, 5) parents get the passwords to EVERYTHING, 6) create device free zones in the home. He also gave his personal recommendations for certain phones at certain ages, that being, Gabb Phones ("aka dumb phones") from ages 6-11; Troomi or Pinwheel phones from ages 11-15; and only introduce smart phones at age 16+.
For additional help, Mr. Webb shared instagram accounts that are here to help!
@book_cram (Kaylee Low): Intentional parenting in a digital world; she shares books and resources that help navigate this crazy digital world
@live.life.bigger (Life Life Bigger Foundation): a nonprofit organization that keeps you in the loop when it comes to tech; educates about mental health
@protectyoungeyes (Chris McKenna, family digital safety expert): helps families, schools, and churches prepare and protect kids online
@betterscreentime (Andrea Davis): teaches how to reduce screen time, restore family time, and raise kids and teens who thrive!
@savethekidsinc (Save the Kids): a nonprofit organization founded by Collin Kartchner. A one stop shop for raising kids in this tech heavy world
@bulliesbe.gone (Nate Webb): he helps kids overcome bullies, look past social media, and love their life!
We're doing our best as parents! There is no room for shame or shaming others- there is only room for improvement!
