One of the challenges that we, the parents, must face at some point in our journey is the PTO meeting. I’m not a big proponent of homeschooling, but I give it some thought twice a year at the Parent Teacher Organization meetings. As a helpful service to those who have yet to venture into the realm of the PTO, here are some tricks and tools to help you survive relatively unscathed.

#1 – Decide how involved you want to be. Most of us have jobs. Many have more than one child to keep track of. You may have commitments at your church or civic organization. There are only a handful of parents who are going to make PTO their main thing. If you’re one of them, go for it. If not, back off and let the diehards run the show.

#2 – Pick your battles. Some things are worth fighting for, some aren’t. If the PTO elite want to do a rainbows and unicorns float in the local parade, remember rule #1. If you aren’t willing or able to step up and be one of the chief architects, then sit back and go with the flow.

#3 – Do your homework before the meeting. The PTO meetings are not meant for discussion. This is where the PTO brain trust lets you in on their plans for the future of the school and offers you a chance to get on board with specific projects. Don’t think that this is the time or place to ask a lot of detailed questions or to try to change the collective mind of the board.

#4 – Remember that this is all about the children. Your preferences don’t matter. Your ego doesn’t matter. You had your chance to have your say back at point #1. It isn’t too late, if you want to go all in and join the board, do so right after the meeting. At any point in time, there is some overcommitted parent who wants nothing more than to give you some of their responsibilities.

So that’s it. The PTO meetings aren’t fun, but they’re only a couple of times a year. You can do it.

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The Firefly cellular phone is a neat concept for parents of children who want a cellphone but may not be ready for one.  The Firefly is a simple to use cell phone designed for maximum parental control.

My nine year old son has absolutely no reason to own a cellphone.  He doesn’t go anywhere without us.  But he begged and pleaded for six months, and we finally relented and got him a Virefly for his birthday this year.

I have a password for his phone that he does not know, which can be used to program numbers into the phone.  He can dial only those pre-programmed numbers.  The phone has two large buttons on the front, one pre-programmed to call mom and the other to call me.  Then there are a handful of other numbers (my office, grandma and grandpa, etc.) that he can choose from a menu.  Without the passcode he cannot dial any other numbers.

There are a variety of plans to choose from, all of which are relatively inexpensive.  We chose $10 a month for 25 minutes, which should be more than enough.  The service has been reliable and clear everywhere we’ve used the phone.

The phone itself comes in two varieties: glowPhone and flyPhone.  GlowPhone has all the functions that a kid could need (but not all the functions that a kid could want), including customizable ring tones and games.  We went for this low option, on the promise that if he could show us that he could go a year without breaking or losing his phone we could discuss an upgrade.

The flyPhone is a full multi-media phone with a camera and a color screen.  This is a full function phone with enough features to make many adults jealous.  Grown-up features and functionality come with a grown-up price tag, and the flyPhone clocks in at $99.

A Firefly phone is a good tool for kids wanting a taste of adulthood and responsibility before they’re really ready.  One note from personal experience: the Firefly cannot survive a trip through the washer and dryer.

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So, this is part two of my discussion of whether school projects are good or bad for students.  For those of you who haven’t read the first part, here is a brief summary: projects are very good for students, although they do have some negative aspects.  If you want to read it, here is the link.

Now, this part focuses on a specific aspect of projects: large portions of parental help and whether it is right or wrong. Based on my past experiences, I feel it is far more wrong than right.  But, I shall try not to be biased and list the pros and cons. (more…)

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Mary Pope Osborn has made quite a name and a fortune for herself with her series of Magic Tree House books. There are already over 40 books in the series, not including the occasional reference guide. The series follow young Jack and Annie on their adventures through time and space courtesy of, well, a magic tree house.

The gist of it is that the tree house appears… magically… in the woods near Jack and Annie’s house whenever the magical Morgan needs their help on a kooky mission through time. Jack and Annie have traveled to deserts, jungles, and islands, among many other locales. They’ve worked with William Shakespeare. They’ve escaped a volcano. (more…)

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There has been a huge rise in children joining social media sites like Facebook and MySpace.  Although there are some great pros and cons against this, how young is too young?  Would you allow your children to join one of these sites?

First off, there are some pros to allowing children to join social sites.  In my own family, I am able to share pictures with my nieces and nephews.  They are able to stay on top of my daughter with us living 720 miles away.

I am able to communicate with them in the medium of their generation, online.  My oldest niece, who lived on the west coast her whole life, and I have been able to bond greatly through chatting and social sites.  Now that she is a grown woman with a child of her own, I love sharing stories and quick comments with her. (more…)

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