Family Matters

​Signs of the Times:

​"Parent Alert: Worried About Alexa? 4 Tips to Protect Your Children" here.

Elizabeth A. Heidt Kozisek, Ph.D. - Director - Child Protection Office, Grand Island Diocese- recommended

Screen Sense: Setting the Record Straight--Research-Based Guidelines for Screen Use for Children Under 3 Years Old document published by Zero to Three.

Lots of great information for raising healthy kids in this digital age.

Screen Sense

See "On-line" below for more info for kids of all ages.

​How do you talk to your young child about fears they have? What advice can you give them? The following video, made for young children, may be a helpful starting place. 

It's Okay to Ask for Help - Here is a great resource for teens, "Your LIfe, Your Voice", that can be helpful if they have questions on any of a wide variety of subjects. It's from Boystown, so you know it's a reliable resource. Check it out and share it with your teen.

Teens and Dating

Talk to teens about the importance of developing healthy, respectful relationships.

Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing and name calling, are a "normal" part of a relationship. However, these behaviors can become abusive and develop into more serious forms of violence. That is why adults need to talk to teens now about the importance of developing healthy, respectful relationships.

Dating violence can have a negative effect on health throughout life. Victims of teen dating violence are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. They might also engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Teens who are victims in high school are at higher risk for victimization during college.
​ Learn more.            More for teens.

Teenager or Space Cadet?
Does it ever seem that one day your teenager is the caring, responsible young adult you hoped for, and the next day...not so much?

There's a reason for that!
 Parent 911: Understanding the Teenage Brain 

Pam Stenzel is funny, down-to-earth, and challenging when it comes to teen relationships, dating and sex. Her talks and books are great resources. You can check out a DVD from the parish office, or, find out more at her website: Pam Stenzel

• Do you know what the Dark Web and the Tor browser are? Because you might overhear your tweens and teens talking about it sometime.
  Knowledge is power!
  
  The Dark Web sounds ominous - for good reason! It's filled with sexual exploitation of all kinds, illegal drugs and weapons, terrorism and more. In this dangerous world, child abuse images are an exploding epidemic that is growing at an astonishing pace. Kids who hear about the Dark Web may be intrigued by the mystique and want to explore it. And it's surprisingly easy to get there through the Tor browser, without anyone being able to identify the user or track their activity.
  
  Read Parent Alert! The Dark Web Endangers Curious Kids to be prepared to teach and protect your kids. And there's more!
  
  Find out what brain scans are showing from the latest research on screen time and kids' brains (there are real effects!)
• Discover the new kids' smartwatch coming out this month that includes safety features without connecting to the internet.
• Kids between 8-12 years old voluntarily sharing nude photos and videos online - what is going on?
  
  

It can be overwhelming, but we’ve got you covered with our Parent Alerts. It's an easy way to keep current with news you can use to prepare your kids to live safely in a hyper-sexualized world.   For lots of great and helpful info go to  protectyoungminds.org.

Pornography is not something we usually associate with children. But more and more kids are exposed,
sometimes accidentally, on-line and porn sites are very creative at reaching your kids using mousetrapping, porn-napping, looping, and stealth sites, (find definitions here), as well as through innocent word searches, free teaser images, some free flash games, some cartoon characters and chlid icons pop-ups and banners. Pornography is being referred to as "The New Drug". 

Catholic Mutual Group and Covenant Eyes have partnered to create CMG Connect Parents. Great information on protecting your family, and an app you can purchase to monitor web sites on all of the devices in your home.
If you are concerned about what your children/teens are seeing on-line follow this link to  "Common Sense Media"-Parental controls on computers, phones & other devices 

For more on this and a wide variety of other helpful sites for parents visit out diocesan Child Protection Office page.

Click here to see our teen page.

• Loyola Press family resources site will keep you busy browsing and finding great stuff all year long!
• Vibrant Faith at Home  We seek to equip and empower your family to: *TALK with each other about their faith *PRAY together in ways that are comfortable and comforting *RITUALIZE their important moments *REACH OUT in service and support of others. Discover dozens of creative activities to help you incorporate faith practices into your family routine.​
• Sunday Connection: Loyola Press  God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. The Sunday Connection provides useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.​
• ​Catholic Icing.com site will keep your family making crafts to help celebrate the liturgical year.

​​​Is there someone in your family who notices and likes the change in decorations and colors at church, while an other might not notice an elephant in the church?   
Is there someone who likes to listen to music to pray and another who likes it to be quiet?
Just as we each have our own personality, we each have our own spirituality type. The link below will take you to a brief inventory of your preferences to discover your spirituality type.
Try it out with other family members - and have fun with the discussion it starts!
What's My Spirituality Type?