As everyone already knows, the internet is a very useful resource for almost every topic you can think of.
It comes as no surprise that many parents go online using it as a source of information as well as for practical, tried and tested advice for their families.
34% of parents in the USA actually make it their business to go online just for parenting advice.
Bearing that in mind, you might wonder what parenting blogs are the best for promoting positive parenting.
There are literally thousands of parenting blogs!
So rather wading through an internet minefield, here are my favorite blogs and why, as well as some other useful information that might help you when you need somewhere to go for advice.
Mom Blog Society
The first one I’m going to cover is http://momblogsociety.com.
This blog was created by LaDonna Dennis who has three grown-up children. She even has grandchildren so has first-hand experience of bringing up children beyond the teenage years.
At first glance, you might think that this blog is firmly geared toward younger children but delve in and you’ll find a wealth of information for your teen.
As a good example, I like this piece on traveling by air with your adolescent which focuses on how to prepare your tweens/teens for flying without treating them like a child and it also helps them to be mindful of the necessities needed when traveling by air.
The technology section on this blog has plenty of excellent tips, especially how to keep children safe on their iPhones (perfectly suitable for teenagers too).
Additionally, I like their piece on encouraging children to give back to the community and how to engage children in daily acts of kindness. You can access that piece here.
Free Range Kids
Another excellent blog is freerangekids.com which focuses on bringing up children who are self-reliant and encouraging greater responsibility for children.
I think this is an excellent resource for parents who want their teenagers to be responsible, streetwise young adults but are perhaps afraid of letting go.
It’s also for parents who are ready to let go but maybe their teen feels unprepared for some of the challenges of young adult responsibility.
Written by Lenore Skenazy, it doesn’t produce the usual blog content that parents have come to expect, such as best recipes, how to help with homework etc.
It focuses on different types of topics, some of them from the news and others designed to really question the world that we live in.
The following piece is a very good example of the pitfalls of helicopter parenting and about how parents should consider their words before imparting them on an adolescent or young teen.
We should all be mindful that teenagers (like children) soak up information and may not question it as well as older teenagers and adults. Some teens take words literally and these words shape their actions later on.
Take a read.
Here’s another one by Linda Flanagan that picks apart the new-found verb “to parent.”
Who are we, as parents to push our children to get into Ivy League universities or to be over-achievers (especially when they’re not designed that way!)?
This piece tells parents to focus on nurturing children to thrive,
our role is not to turn them into something— a perfectly accomplished violinist, say, or Ivy League coed—but to nurture them in a way that allows them to thrive.
Mamavation
If you search top parenting blogs in the USA, Mamavation.com founded by Leah Segedie crops up time and again.
Leah, while pregnant with her first child discovered her father had a rare form of lung cancer derived from over-exposure to asbestos.
Her research into the subject inspired her to let others know about the dangers that lurk in everyday life.
I personally think it’s a good tool for healthy eating because what you serve your teen will go a long way to promoting wellbeing and positive nourishment.
Teens aren’t that far removed from children and they do tend to swerve toward sugary candy and processed food. It’s wise to be mindful of what they’re eating.
For example, this piece explores potential toxins found in breakfast cereal while examining the “sugar crash” that can often happen in the middle of the day.
Too much sugar is bad for anyone’s health, (children, teens and adults) as it can lead to diabetes, obesity as well as other chronic diseases.
It emphasizes that parents who cut their kids’ intake of sugar to 10% of their calories see improvement in their health.
Do read it; it will make you more aware of the ingredients in cereal to avoid.
The blog isn’t just about food either, it also has a useful household section that talks about general life in the home as well as what type of products to seek out to make sure there aren’t too many chemicals in your air.
For example, if you’re worried about your teen’s performance at school – have you ever considered that it might be down to the toxins in your air at home?
This piece gives plenty of food for thought and will have you examining the back of your household cleaners and toiletries for phthalates, lead, triclosan, manganese and arsenic to name a few.
Scary Mommy
Scary mommy http://www.scarymommy.com is another popular parenting blog but this one also has a tongue-in-cheek approach to many of its posts.
It’s sarcastic, often funny but still packed with useful advice.
The blog was originally started in 2008 and in the beginning; its primary focus was on babies and stay-at-home moms of toddlers.
It grew rapidly into a large community and was bought in 2015. From that date onward, the blog grew to incorporate different life stages and is a great place to turn when you need someone else to remind you that parenting doesn’t have to be perfect (in the blog’s own words)!
It also has a section dedicated to parents of teenagers.
Some of you parents might find this article particularly poignant, especially if your teen has once again trudged through the door after his or her day at school and you fail to get more than a mumble out of them about their day!
As well as doling out suggestions as to when might be the best time to chat to your teen (the car, at bedtime, at meals) the author, Lisa Sadikman also has some useful start-up conversation lines to try:
- What was your favorite part of the day?
- What was the most exciting thing that happened?
- How were you kind today?
- What was the most boring thing you did at school today?
I Am Not The Babysitter
http://www.iamnotthebabysitter.com is another worthy blog that will get you thinking.
It features plenty of travel tips, recipe tips, household information and even shopping but it also has some useful articles on parenting.
One of Jamie’s articles focuses on how to help your teen when their life gets messy.
There will always be times in your teen’s life when life is more challenging than usual and as a parent, you no doubt want to be available to help but how do you approach your teen especially when they don’t seem to want your help?
You might know some of the answers already but it always helps to have someone else agree with your thoughts or perhaps present a new set of ideas too.
This one tells you to make sure your teen doesn’t escape the consequences of their actions – so don’t always be tempted to bail them out!
It also advises you not to take over and to support them in their actions but to teach them to take care of their problems themselves too. It’s well worth a read for more nuggets!
Another excellent article that caught my eye was on how to prepare teens for their driver’s license.
There’s no doubt, a new teenage driver in the house is often the source of worry, and so what should you do as a parent to help them get to grips with the next stage of their teenage life?
It helps with advice on getting affordable car insurance, you teaching them how to drive, assessing their driving ability and a large chunk dedicated to knowing the risks attached to young drivers.
Don’t miss it, especially if your teen has just passed their test.
From Reids Dad
Another blog that follows on from some of the driving topic mentioned above is actually by a father of a deceased teen and is entitled http://www.fromreidsdad.org.
The father who founded this blog, Tim Hollister had a 17 year old son, Reid who unfortunately died in a one-car accident in 2006.
The road that he died on has a very deep curve and following his son’s accident was a precursor to many more fatal accidents.
The blog is honored by the Governors Highway Safety Association and has won a national public service award.
It is also recognized by the US Department of Transportation’s 2010 public service award and Tim Hollister was the designated Traffic Safety Hero of the Year by the AAA Club of Southern New England in 2012.
His blog solely focuses on teen driving, the risks, the cautions to take and how to encourage safe driving, it also has plenty of other information that parents of teens will find useful such as the best tracking devices to install in cars, what to do when your teen is driving in danger, information on advanced driving courses and more.
Raising Teens Blog
This blog http://raisingteensblog.com is exactly as it sounds a place for parents of teenagers who’d like a little guidance, somewhere to let of steam and also somewhere to laugh along with other parents of the same generation.
Founded by two moms, Cindy Goodman and Raquel Alderman they already understand what those often turbulent years can be like.
This article is a cute read and helps you to get to grips with when your tween or early teenage boy suddenly starts to notice the opposite sex.
It also reminds parents to teach their son to value females for other things, other than just their looks.
There’s another piece that isn’t so lighthearted but covers a very important issue, teen suicide and was written on the back of Netflix’ 13 Reasons Why.
It serves as a reminder that your sullen teenager may have something else going on inside and that’s why it’s not wise to let them get on with their emotions just thinking it might pass.
Do read it; it may well have some very useful information inside that I hope you never feel the need to act upon, but nonetheless, useful.
Another piece that I like, is an article on how to know when your teenager is having sex.
The bottom line is to listen and be involved with your child’s life but also to help them to understand when it’s completely inappropriate to have a sex life.
Mom Generations
My final blog is http://www.momgenerations.com which is a lifestyle type blog that examines a variety of topics from food to fashion, children to digital and there are many personal observations too.
This blog was created by Audrey McClelland who used to work for Donna Karan but stopped to raise her children.
She missed the world of fashion and founded this blog, working together with Sharon Couto (an ex-high school teacher) and Jane Govednik.
All three are related.
One piece that is particularly useful for parents of teenagers is the http://www.momgenerations.com/2017/08/best-apps-back-school/.
It features a list of apps that you might want to download, especially with the new semester fully in swing.
Apps such as homework planners which help to monitor your teen’s workload.
There’s also information on the Safestop app which monitors where the school bus is at any moment during to school and from school journeys. Easy to use, you key in your zip code and school bus information so you can track your bus.
I hope you find the above blogs a useful resource and they act as a help when it comes to raising your teenager.
Originally posted 2017-10-29 15:20:02.