ParentOverShoulder

4 Ways to Save Money Buying a Wii

So you’ve decided to get a Wii. Well, it’s a good news/bad news proposition. First the bad news: Nintendo keeps a level playing field by setting a standard price for its console — $199.99 — which makes shopping around for the best price fruitless. But the good news is that the Wii world is a little more complex than that, so savvy shoppers can still save some dough. Here’s how.

1. Look for a gift-card bonus. The way some retailers get around Nintendo’s MSRP (or any manufacturer’s, for that matter) is a…

The Other Avatar – The Last Airbender

There are very few television shows that can stand up to the age-split test in our house. Avatar – The Last Airbender, on Nickelodeon, is one can hold a six-year-old and a thirteen-year-old spellbound (with parents glancing in from the background). So it’s very good news that the live-action movie being developed by Paramount Pictures and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is scheduled to be released this summer.

An interesting controversy has developed around this movie that, to me, demonstrates both the wide appeal of this story, as well as…

The Tween Crowd on YouTube

The middle school crowd is crazy for YouTube. I mean, if you don’t know who Fred is, you haven’t been paying attention! My son has jumped on the bandwagon, and is a frequent video poster and viewer. (The Flip camera he received for Christmas a couple of years ago gathered dust — literally — for more than a year before it became indispensable about six months ago.) His activity is focused on creating videos — mostly “instructional” but sometimes just opinions — about his hobbies (primarily fishing and street hockey). Once…

How predators lure smart kids

I had always wondered how otherwise-savvy kids get duped into rendezvousing with people they meet online (sometimes to tragic end). But I recently learned that most predators will communicate with a child for three to six months before suggesting an in-person meeting. Over such an extended period, they are able to build a rapport and a credible story about who are (but really aren’t). They know the latest music and interests of children. They listen empathetically. Only very gradually do they interject any sexually explicit chat.

I found this European site,…

Teens and Sexting

A survey released in December by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of teens ages 12-17 who own a cell phone say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as “sexting”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.

“Teens explained to us how sexually suggestive images have become a form of relationship currency,” said Amanda Lenhart,

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Exercising compromise with the remote

A family room makeover in a design magazine recently caught my eye. The room included two identical TVs on one wall (with a fireplace between). The caption explained that the intention was for two people to watch TV “together,” each using a separate screen and headphones.

I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it embraced reality: Cable television has become so diverse and specialized that each family member finds programming developed specifically for their interests (or age group). On the other hand, it’s sort of sad to…

3 mini-moral dilemmas for digital parents

Every once in a while, I come across a situation in life-with-electronics that causes me to stop and say, “Hmmm.” While these dilemmas aren’t juicy enough to be fodder for playwrights and priests, they aren’t uncommon and take a little thinking-through as a parent.

1. Lying about the child’s age. This comes up when setting up accounts on adult sites. (By that I mean sites that are generally used by adults and not kids, but for purposes I’ve deemed appropriate for someone younger than the 18-year-old requirement. )…

How to save money on video games

My colleague Leah Ingram, who blogs about frugal living over at SuddenlyFrugal, has some great suggestions for ways parents and kids can get the best values when buying used video games or selling them. For example, do you know when is the best time to sell a video game? Or which games hold their values best? I sure didn’t. Head over to Leah’s post for all the details.

How kids use cell phones to cheat

A recent survey by Common Sense Media shows that 35 percent of students use their cell phones to cheat on tests. Here’s how they do it:

26% store info on their phone and look at it while taking a test

25% send text messages to friends, asking for answers

17% take pictures of a test – and then send it to their friends

20% use their phones to search for answers on the Internet

48% warn friends about a pop quiz with a phone call or text message

Happily, teachers…

Fast fix: Watch a TV show with your kids

If you fret about the amount of time your kids are spending with TV, an easy way to turn this to a positive (instead of lowering the “no more TV boom”) is to sit and watch with them. Yes, I know you wanted to “get something done” while your kids watched, and this tactic does defeat that purpose. But at least you get an enjoyable rest period, and you can feel good that your child is learning more.

According to David Dutwin, Ph.D., author of Unplug Your Kids (Adams Media, 2009), studies show…