Banana Moments

Network pressure and cyberbullying

When children are not grounded first by connection to the family, someplace secure where they belong, make contributions and are valued, they are vulnerable to the whims of the network, sometimes playful and sometimes sinister energy promoting actions and beliefs that are not always in alignment with our values.

Book review: Alone Together

In her book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other (2011), Sherry Turkle, a technology and society specialist at MIT, addresses the question of whether we as humans will determine how to keep busy the cyber technology that automates our lives and disrupts, or acts as an impervious substitute for, genuine human interaction.

From social media to robots, Turkle observes that we are a society experimenting with a…

How teens rule their cyber world: House rules to live by

These teens were encouraged to consider that freedom is not without limits, and that if the Internet has no boundaries, and is “free” so others can do and say what they want, when they want, what is preventing bad actors from infringing on your personal security.

Post 9/11 fear-based paradigm of the network culture

When Al-Qaeda made its menacing presence known to the world on September 11, 2001, it symbolized for me how vulnerable we are in the network culture. The cyber technology that enabled so much prosperity,

FBI ChildID app offers prarents preparedness without fear

SACRAMENTO — The FBI just released a free mobile phone app that enables parents to provide the authorities with immediate identity information including current images in the event a child is lost or kid knapped.

Special Agent Steve Dupre of the Sacramento FBI office encourages parents to consider this child identity application as a tool that will act as insurance, but does not signal a rise in the threat of child abduction.

“In the unlikely…

How parents help students tame academic anxiety

by Alice Rush, M.A., MCC — Owner and Founder of CareerU® Counseling Center

This article is for kids who are stressed out in high school, don’t know how they’re going to make it; parents who are not sure how they are going to afford the new “6 years” of private college tuition or UC System tuition for a Bachelor’s Degree; the high achiever kids that surprisingly ‘don’t get in’ and are wondering what…

Why kids cyberbully and what to do about it

So you are facing a cyberbullying crisis. While it can feel like you are powerless to stop it, remember that it is in times of crisis when your role as the parent and your connection with your child can be strengthened.

Kim Fredrickson is a marriage and family therapist in Roseville, California. She specializes in helping parents connect with their children in meaningful ways, to promote a home that is more…

Three ‘C’s for parents leading teens in recovery

Barry Lessin is a psychologist specializing in adolescent addiction and ADHD. Through his practice in Ft. Washington, PA, he has observed the challenges parents face in supporting teens in recovery from addiction. He offers insights for parents to take charge of family life and guide your teen into recovery.

Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CACD
Licensed Psychologist
Certified Addictions Counselor Diplomate

Mr. Lessin’s Topic:

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD HAS…

Financial investment scams yield lessons for on and off-line relationships

In the network culture, trust is fast becoming a “currency” as the sting of harassment, fraud and deception impact lives in profound ways. The typical headlines are cyberbullying and pedophile seduction of children.

And then there are bad actors after your money, as illustrated by the FBI news yesterday about Operation Broken Trust.

The FBI Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force announced the largest investment fraud sweep in the United States concluded with 231…

Texting application addresses AAA caution that texting while driving is as dangerous as drunken driving

Recent statistics released by the Center for Disease Control bring encouraging news that there has been a decline in the fatality rate of teens aged 17-18 in automobile accidents from 2004-2008.

This report also indicates that the decline in teen fatalities is more than likely a factor of economic pressure to conserve spending, and so teens are not driving as much and/or are delaying obtaining their driver’s licenses.

Other reasons credited for the…