Page 203 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Household Guidelines • Chapter 7

and when less emotion is involved, as that can cloud judgment and increase
frustration.

Guidelines like “no texting at the dinner table” and “treat others with kindness
and empathy” can help steer your child in the right direction. In our house we
have a simple rule—“If you don’t have something nice to say, say nothing at
all.”

Group Texting Drama Scenario
Your middle school daughter is a part of multiple texting chains with friends.
This starts after school ends and carries through dinnertime. These aren’t
school-related texts and are actually all about creating drama with other
friends.

Without household guidelines solution:
You tell her to get off the phone, especially at dinner. A struggle ensues,
at which point you take the phone away and say she can get it back in the
morning. This causes additional drama, as she now feels left out of the conver-
sation with her friends.

With household guidelines solution:
Working with your daughter ahead of time, you’ve discussed when it’s appro-
priate to text with friends and what the content should be about. In this
scenario, both time and content are inappropriate, and she already knows that
those are important in the rules you created. She tells her friends she’s off to
have family time and tries to steer them into a more positive direction away
from the drama.

The Reality TV Star Scenario
Your teenage son has decided that he wants to be the next reality TV star,
so he creates his own YouTube channel that involves him blowing things up
in creative ways. He makes videos regularly and posts them almost daily. In
the comment threads, people suggest he blow up his mom’s car, which he
considers.

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Mobile Learning Mindset: The Parent’s Guide to Supporting Digital-Age Learners 203