7 Tools That Monitor Your Kids on Facebook

As friends of your family that care about what happens to your kids, we here at Ridgecrest Summer Camps want to empower you with tools that help you parent well. If you currently have kids on Facebook, this info may be helpful. And if your kids aren’t on Facebook yet, then chances are they will be one day, or they will be on whatever comes along next. Either way, we want you to be informed about options that are designed and available for parents just like you…

“An ongoing debate continues on how to keep younger Facebookers safe on the site, which already enforces a rule that users be at least 13 years old.

Some parents believe the easiest and most effective handling of the situation is to simply say “no” even to their kids who meet the minimum age requirement for creating accounts on the social network. Others are looking for some safe middle ground that lets them know what their children are up to online.

With that in mind, here are seven reviews of products that help monitor young ones’ activities on Facebook.”

Read more….

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Moms, Camp Ridgecrest, Facebook, internet safety, kid and media, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Why “Giving Not Getting” is Best for Kids

by Dr. Michele Borab

University of Minnestoa study shows hidden dangers of materialism for kids. Here is parenting advice to help you tone down the gimmes and stress giving.

If you ever had even the slightest bit of guilt about saying “No” to your kids materialistic whims during these next few weeks, you can kiss that guilt away. A University of Minnesota study confirmed what every parent has instinctively known deep down: We’re not doing our kids any favors by giving in to their every whim and spending urge. Profound eh?

Deborah Roedder John and Lan Nguyen Chaplin, the lead authors of the study (published in t Journal of Consumer Reasearch) found that materialistic kids are less happy, more anxious, feel less secure, have lower self-esteem, less able to handle adversity, and are less generous and charitable.

Wow! And if that doesn’t convince you to hide that ATM card, read on:

The study also found that materialistic kids have lower opinions of their parents and argue with them more.

So now all you need is a plan halt the gimmes, and stick to it! Just think of the benefits: You’ll be saving money, be less stressed, save hours not having to shop, and boost your kids’ self-esteem! Sounds almost too good to be true. And what a perfect time to start than during the holidays.

6 Tips to Tone Down the $$$$ and Tune Up the Giving

Now I’m not suggesting you do a complete about face and cut out the presents altogether. Every kid will be out waving white flags come Christmas morning. But here are a few tips to help you put a little less emphasis on the $$$$ (i.e. “getting”) and a little more on “giving” this season and still make things reasonable.

1. Give things that boost “togetherness.” Think of gifts you do “with” one another. Board games, certificates to a movie, skating rink, tickets to a concert, exercise equipment.

2. Set limits. Put a dollar limit on just how much you’re going to spend and stick to it.

3. Require prioritizing. Set a cap on the number of gifts per kid. But warn the kiddies ahead. Tell them to think through what they really, really want and need this year. They must prioritize their wish list into their top three (or whatever number) wants. Young kids can draw their wishes.

4. Get grandparents on board. Pass on your new policy to grandparents. Suggest they give presents that will nurture their relationship with their grandkids such as a trip together, a digital camera to exchange pictures. They could also contribute to the child’s college fund.

5. Nurture a strength or skill. Instead of giving a dozen items that end up in the closet, think of gifts that could nurture your child’s strength or talent like a musical instrument, art materials, or horse-back riding lessons.

6. Be a charitable family. Find a needy family your kids can “adopt” for the season and buy presents for; bake an extra batch of cookies for the lonely neighbor next door; go caroling to a nursing home.

There are dozens of ways to rethink the holidays so our kids can learn that the real spirit of the holidays is about Giving not Receiving.  What are you doing this year to bring back a “giving spirit”?

Dr. Michele Borba, Parenting Expert

For more Practical Parenting Advice follow me on twitter @MicheleBorba or refer to my daily blog, Dr. Michele Borba’ Reality Check. You can also find dozens of research-based and practical tips to raise strong kids from the inside out in my latest book, The Big Book of Parenting Solutions.

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

The Next 4 Questions About Parenting Teens

Welcome back Ridgecrest Summer Camps parents! This is the second part of the interview in a special two-part series.

Dr. Richard Ross, professor of student ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, has always had parent ministry at his heart. He has had numerous contributions to books and resources on student ministry and parent ministry. In a recent issue, Leading Adults sat down with Dr. Ross to discuss his impressions of families with teenagers.

Here are 4 questions that Dr. Ross addresses:

1) How is the teenager-parent relationship different today from in the past?

2) You have a new book out, coauthored with Ken Hemphill, Parenting with Kingdom Purpose. Just what does it mean to “parent with kingdom purpose?”

3) What can adults of older children do to prepare for parenting teenagers?

4) What are three timeless tips you can give to encourage parents of teenagers?

Read Dr. Ross’ answers here…

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Parenting Teenagers, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Conversations About Our Treasures

We probably both agree that talking with you kids is important. As you talk to your kids this month, we at Ridgecrest Summer Camps hope that these questions will provide a few starting places for you as a parent. Below you will find different questions that are geared for specific age groups.

For Preschoolers
What is your favorite toy?
How does it make you feel when you cannot find your favorite toy?

For Children
What do you love most in the whole world?
How is that like a treasure?
How can we treat God like a treasure?

For Students
How can our possessions keep us from loving God?
What are some things you worry about? How can you give that to God?

If you get any responses that are worth sharing, we invite you to do so below…

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Talking to your kids | Leave a reply

3 Questions About Parenting a Teenager

As a Camp Ridgecrest or Camp Crestridge parent, you are either a parent of a teen, or you will be soon.

Richard Ross, Ph.D., is professor of student ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. Richard serves as spokesperson for the True Love Waits campaign and is the author or compiler of more than 20 books on student ministry or parenting. For more information about Parenting with Kingdom Purpose, see www.kingdomparent.com .

Dr. Ross addresses some key questions that many of us are asking…

1) By the time parents have teenagers, they have years of experience being a parent. So why is parenting a teenager so hard?

2) If the needs of teenagers differ from the needs of children, how can parents know what their teenagers need and when those needs shift?

3) If the relationship between parents and teenagers has been difficult, what can parents do to make the relationship better?

Read his answers here…

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Parenting Teenagers, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Campers: Then and Now

Having spent 35 years working in the camping field (40 if you count 5 summers in my hometown for three weeks each summer), one question I am often asked is “Have you seen a lot of changes in children/youth through the years?” The answer to that would be, “yes and no”. Of course children have changed, as the world has changed. Because of greater access to the world through television and the internet, I think children are a lot more worldly-wise at a younger age than they were 35 years ago. I believe this generation of youth take things a bit more seriously overall than we did when I was a child, or maybe it was just me that was less serious! The tendency seems to be to grow up faster than when I was growing up. I guess in many ways, this is a good thing, but we still need to make sure children have a childhood… and a positive one.

I still see lots of similarities in the children and youth of today and those of yesteryear. They still have a curiosity about nature and the outdoors, and want to learn about those things. The difference is there aren’t as many opportunities for them to do so in our urban/suburban lives. Camp is the perfect place for this! Young folks still look up to older kids and adults, and seek out role models to pattern their lives after. Some of them get lucky and find great positive role models. Others make poor choices for mentors and role models, and thus grow up with more negative influences. Again, camp can facilitate this need in their lives by providing counselors who are positive, loving influences. And most young people still have an innate desire to answer the question “What is my purpose here in this world?” What a tremendous opportunity we have to share with them about God and his plan for their lives!!!

Children will always be children, and will always be curious, crazy, concerned, and cautious… our role is to help them along as best we can, and to provide them with positive experiences that they can hold as a foundation as they grow into adulthood. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child up in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” There is no greater challenge, and no great responsibility than that.

Ron Springs
Camps Director
Ridgecrest Summer Camps  Staff 1976-present

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, camping, parent resourses, Proverbs 22:6, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Ron Springs | Leave a reply

Parenting from the Ground Up

“It wasn’t until we moved across the country that I learned I was a good mother. Before we moved, I had a friend whose words about my failed parenting stung me. I coddled those words, believed them. After all, I was a first-generation Christian parent. I grew up in a home I didn’t want my children to experience. I was bound to mess up. I worried incessantly that I’d ruin my children’s lives. I pictured them grown up, sitting across from a counselor. “Well, everything would be fine in my life,” my child would say, “if it hadn’t been for my mother!”’

Read more… Written by Mary E. DeMuth

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Talking to your kids | Leave a reply

Conversations About Being Thankful

Below are a few Conversation Starters for your kids! We have given you a different type of question for the different age groups. We hope that this will help you as you continue to point your kids towards Jesus!

For Preschoolers
Start sentence prayers with your preschooler by saying, “Thank You God for…” and let him or her finish the sentence.
What are some things you can share?

For Children
What are some things God has given you?
How can you say thank you to God?
Who should we give to?
Who are some people we should help?

For Students
Besides saying the words thank you, how do we show gratitude to God for the things He has given us?
What is something you have that would be hard to give up?
When living in luxury, what is a good amount to give to those in need?

Let us know what you think about these questions below…. If you had a great response from your child, we’d love for you to share it here!

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Talking to your kids | Leave a reply

4 Stay-Sane Strategies for Parents

It’s not just that they were trying to be difficult, or push your buttons. There is more behind it than that. Learn how brain research in teens has taught us more about why your kids do what they do. (That’s right, there may be an explanation after all.) There are areas of the brain — not surprisingly, the ones responsible for things like planning ahead and weighing priorities — that continue to develop well into their 20s.

Read, Inside the Teenage Brain by Judith Newman.

Enjoy the read… it may make you feel better…

Phil Berry
Assistant Director, Camp Ridgecrest
Parent of Piper and Lily

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Loving Your Kids On Purpose

A title like that gets your attention doesn’t it? It got mine, what do I accidentally love my daughters? Well, I suppose I do sometimes. And other times I love them because I can’t help it. And then, the more I thought about it,  I realized that there are lots of times when I decide to love them. Why? Well, I’m frustrated with them. But they are mine. And just like Jesus chooses to love us when we blow it big time, I choose to love Piper and Lily Berry no matter what they do.

I know this isn’t necessarily ground breaking stuff here. But it does give me the chance to point you to a book that Amy and I are reading in our house. I think we might have to read it a few times because it’s such a shift in thinking….it is redefining the way we love and discipline our kids. So, I invite you to take a look as well…

The title of the book? Yep, Loving Your Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk. This link is to Amazon where you can even pick up a used copy…

As I begin the New Year, I like the idea of “fresh” things. Fresh goals, fresh calendars, fresh ideas… why not a fresh look at the way we discipline and love our kids. One last disclaimer…I’m still thinking through these ideas. We have tried some of them in our home, and they work very well. But we have by no means mastered the philosophy of the book….

Enjoy! And let me know what you think about the book…

Phil Berry
Assistant Director
Dad to Piper and Lily

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, Danny Silk, discipline, Loving Your Kids On Purpose, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply