Happy New Year From MamaBear

Happy New Year from the MamaBear team! Well . . . do you have your New Year’s Resolutions planned?  They are so hard to stick to, right? It’s hard because it’s discipline. Ultimately, New Year’s resolutions are all about discipline and accountability. Working out when we say we’re going to work out. Skipping fries when we say we’re going to cut carbs. Consistency is hard to maintain with new habits. We’ve all broken a few resolutions here or there, and we all know how hard it can be to maintain constant discipline.

If we, as adults, have a hard time with discipline, it is no wonder that our kids battle with it just as much. It’s human nature to want to explore and push boundaries. I haven’t found a parent yet that says, “My kids do exactly what they are supposed to after being told just one time.” As many parents know, it’s about consistent reinforcement.

Obviously we feel that keeping a watchful eye on our children is a good idea – it’s why we created the MamaBear app in the first place. But remember, no one is perfect. Not us as parents and certainly not our children. If we can’t keep our own New Year’s resolutions every time, then maybe we can show some empathy when we feel overwhelmed by our words of repetitive discipline.

We encourage parents to use MamaBear as a tool to gather information. Information to have continued, relevant, consistent conversations about important issues like appropriate behavior on social media, why certain places are off limits and why accountability is important. It’s not hard to teach kids the importance of showing up for practice when they say they will. It just takes consistent reinforcement, even when a child strays a bit.

Going over the speed limit, visiting places we’d rather our kids not visit or perhaps taking a day off school without you knowing are ways boundaries could be tested. We all tested our boundaries growing up, now we have tools like MamaBear that give us vital information to talk about consequences. Tools to give our children consistent and empathetic dialog when they push against our boundaries in the New Year.  Make it a great 2013!

Driving Monitor App – How Fast is Your Teenager Driving?

driving monitor app

It’s so important for our newest drivers, in most cases teenagers, to be safe when out on the road. Speeding is a common violation for many new drivers, yet can have terrible consequences. MamaBear App’s driving monitor feature can tell you how fast your teen is driving. Knowing how fast your teen is going can start a needed conversation on ways to be safe drivers and the consequences of speeding.

According to a survey from Allstate.com, 69% of teens who speed say they do so because they want to keep up with traffic. Also, it states that 55% of teens knowingly exceed the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour and 17% of teens surveyed said that speeding is fun. There really shouldn’t be any reasoning behind speeding. It’s a law in place with safety in mind. It’s a must follow. MamaBear’s driving monitor app can help parent’s track their teen’s speed to see if they’re exceeding the limits and by how much. How do you think your teen drives when you’re not around? Can peer pressure from friends in the car play a role?

Knowing and understand your teen’s speeding habits gives you a chance to share stories with them about the most severe consequences. You’ll find a new one in the news pretty much daily.

During the teenage years, they may feel invincible like nothing can hurt them. So when approached about speeding, your teen may be defensive. But, hold your ground. There’s no debate. We all know how important it is to abide the speed limits.

Speeding teenage drivers are more common than many parents may think. Much of it can be a result of peers and the pressure put on teens. If you choose to use a driving monitor app, like MamaBear’s, you may be surprised by what you find. However, this knowledge can start great conversations. Constantly impressing the importance of safe driving upon your new driver is just one more way you can help protect your children. The full Allstate.com survey can be found here: http://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/safe-driving-resources.aspx

Keep your teens safe while driving, download the MamaBear driving monitor app.