It’s a quandary that all Moms and Dads face. Do they want to be the cool parent or a strict helicopter parent?
Cool parents enjoy the admiration and adulation of their kids, but they’re plagued with worry that their liberal sensibilities may inadvertently land their kids in a situation that they’ll be unable to cope with, or (worse still) leave them vulnerable to the many insidious threats that the 21st century holds for kids.
Or do they become the stricter kind of helicopter parent who keeps a watchful eye on their kids’ activities both in the world or online?
This may give us a better chance of protecting our kids but it also brings the risk of alienating our kids and causing them to harbor resentment towards us later in life if we’re always standing over their shoulder. Moreover, if we insulate our kids from risk entirely we run the risk of them becoming overly timid and frightful adults.
Fortunately, the miracles of the digital age allow us opportunities to more easily walk that fine line. We can keep an eye on our kids from a distance while giving ourselves the peace of mind that comes from knowing they’re safe. Here are some great apps to help you do just that:
ChoreMonster
Ugh! We all hate that feeling that comes with knowing you’ve got to convince your kids to do something they don’t want to do. But you also know that pitching in with the chores builds character and helps them transition into adulthood more easily.
Fortunately, Choremonster can help to incentivize kids to help out with the chores without your needing to turn into a nagging parent. The app’s subtle use of gamification makes household chores almost, dare we say it, fun.
The trouble with most kids is that they aren’t yet mature enough to know that cleanliness is its own reward and they need incentives. The app allows you to create a list of chores on the app to which your son or daughter also have access to their own login. They can mark chores off when they are done and earn points which can be used to “purchase” rewards of your choosing.
Family Orbit
There are lots of parental control apps that allow you to make sure your kids only access appropriate content and more that can allow you to track their whereabouts for your peace of mind. But if only there was one that did both and more. Family Orbit is a parental control and monitoring app that’s your one-stop shop for parental control.
You can block inappropriate content, lock or unlock their phone instantly and track their whereabouts on a real-time map. Thus, you can have complete peace of mind without breathing down their necks.
Quizlet
No parent enjoys nagging kids to do their homework or study for their tests and exams. But kids rarely understand the importance of their education and would much rather spend time with their friends. Fortunately, apps can make doing the right thing a little easier for them.
Take Quizlet, for example, which allows you to quiz them (or them to quiz themselves) on a range of subjects using custom made flash cards.
