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 * Welcome to Mrs. Raatz's Humanities Wikispace!** The homework link is updated on a regular basis. Please be sure to check it! Take a look at some of the cool research tools you can use!

=**__PARENTS:__**= Please use this site to discover what your child is doing in Humanities.There is a special section designed __just for you__! Our home-school relationship is vital, so please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns about your child. = =

__Parent Resources:__
 ·  [|**Adolescent Concerns**]  ·  [|**Third Culture Kids**]  ·  [|**The Ophelia Project:**]The Ophelia Project® is dedicated to creating a culture that is emotionally, physically, and socially safe, where girls are respected and nurtured.  ·  [|**National Parent Information Network**]  ·  [|**Attention Deficit Disorders**]

Please check the links regularly for updates. Take time to visit the helpful __"tips for parents"__ as well as the rich, educational, __professional articles__ links (updated regularly); both of which will assist in parenting and understanding your pre-adolescent.

Feel free to contact me hraatz@isb.bj.edu.cn or Mr. Sadek jsadek@isb.bj.edu.cn if you have any questions or concerns.

2007 • Volume 12 • Number 3
 * [[image:http://www.nmsa.org/Portals/0/images/publications/Family_Connection/family_connections.gif caption="The Family Connection"]] ||  ||

Do You //Really// Know Who Your Young Adolescent is Chatting With Online?
It used to be easy, but with the advent of MySpace and other "online communities", often called social networking sites, parents must work even harder to know their children's relationships and connections with others. What can parents do to stay informed about their children's online connections? Here are several suggestions for keeping your young adolescent safe //and// socially connected. First, have an **honest and frank conversation with your child about online social networks—the good and the bad**. Whether you like it or not, these communities are a part of your child's life, so it is important to accept that and move forward. Your child will be safer if she knows she can come to you with any concerns about her MySpace presence and communications she receives. Second, look at her MySpace page **together regularly**. Make sure that your child understands that although it is her space, the information on her page and in her profile is out there for //everyone//. Read messages together, look at pictures. Have your child give you a MySpace "tutorial". Third, with your child, go to the privacy setting on the MySpace page and make sure that she allows only her friends to see her page—on the "profile viewable by" section, click "My friends only." This is very important! An online social network can be a fun way for your child to communicate and share information with friends, but it should be limited to people she knows. This is not a good way for a young adolescent to //make// friends she does not know. Fourth, realize that MySpace, although it is the most popular online network, is not the only online network. Talk with your child about other online social communities such as Facebook. The same boundaries should apply to all such communities. Finally, **make sure that your child's primary social connections are real and face-to-face**. Have a study area for the family laptop or desktop computer in a public place in your home. Just as you might limit telephone time, limit the amount of time your child spends online. As with any other family rules, have regular discussions about what is working and what is not, changes that need to happen, privileges that come with age and responsible behavior, and the importance of honesty and caring.concerns about her MySpace presence and communications she receives.

Slow Things Down a Bit
Twenty-five years ago, Tufts University psychologist David Elkind detailed the ill effects of a fast-paced society on our children and youth in his classic book //The Hurried Child—Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon//. Unfortunately, this phenomenon has compounded exponentially since then. What can adult caregivers and parents do to assist their young adolescents in keeping a balanced and healthy lifestyle?
 * 1) Young adolescents DO NOT need to begin "padding" their college resumes in middle school. They should, instead, participate in activities that are interesting, fun, and fulfilling. Not every activity will be all three. While young adolescents do need to be encouraged to try some activities, particularly service activities, the best way to encourage your daughter in this area is to participate right beside her.
 * 2) Teach your kids how to use their free time as—free time. Here again, modeling is helpful, but also give them opportunities to plan their own unstructured time. When parents are quick to fill any available slot with one more practice or activity, how can children learn to plan their own time if they never have any time of their own?
 * 3) Plan for some relaxing and lazing around time with no TV, videogames, computers, iPods, or other distracters. Just some time to read a book or play a board game with the family. Too old-fashioned? Too bad! Everyone needs some "down" time without pressures, deadlines, and must-do activities. Young adolescents need quiet time to recharge their internal batteries and reflect on their lives. Sometimes they need help finding the "off" button.



Site Seeing
ABCD Parenting Young Adolescents ([|www.abcdparenting.org] ) **offers information and support to parents and professionals. The site provides information about the ABCD program and answers to frequently asked questions about young adolescent development, common problems (chores and responsibilities, homework, money, decision making, setting limits), and much more.** Help Parenting Tweens, Preteens and Young Adolescents Ages 10–14 ([|www.parenting.org/tween/index.asp] )** is a service of Girls and Boys Town parenting.org. A handy Web site with information about typical young adolescent issues—meeting new people, transitioning back to school, quick tips for parents, and a useful archive of past articles on more topics.

Feel free to contact me any time~ hraatz@isb.bj.edu.cn

Mrs. Holly Beth Raatz Grade 6 Humanities Teacher International School of Beijing