Big Kid Buzz

Clearly too neat to be a real tween's room.

CM mom Carajust wants to know: What is a good bedtime for a 10 year old? I'm thinking that's a really good question. Her son has reached his "double digits," but should that really matter when it comes to lights out for a tween?

Through the eyes of a child, the world is filled with mysteries, miracles and, unfortunately, scary things and people. Even the most empowered child is aware of his own vulnerability. Because of this, the occasional nightmare is very common in children. Indeed, bogeymen and bad guys have real estate in their innocent minds.

For all the moms who are going nuts about the insane amount of time their teens spend on the Internet on social networking sites like Myspace, you can exhale now. Why? A new MacAuthur Foundation study, "Living and Learning With New Media" found that these teens are actually getting ahead of the new media curve.

It can't be only me obsessing about this holiday season and family finances--and where the two shall meet. Many of us are in a crunch this year, but somehow that doesn't stop the overspending visions that dance in our heads. I figure if I can just coach myself enough to calm my inner-Santa down in these last days before the official frenzy begins, then maybe I'll be better off--more likely to resist every temptation. To help me out, I talked to primadonna, group leader of budgeting and finances about ways to think money smart this and every holiday.

How old were you when you were first left at home alone? 10? 12? I was 11 and in the 6th grade. I  remember my latch-key years as a time of discovery --you know, grilled cheese sandwiches with entirely too much butter, and my first (and last) horrible attempt at smoking a cigarette. Deciding when your child is ready for the responsibility of being alone at home is different for every household. Maturity is obviously the key factor to judge. But, no matter when you think it's the right time, be aware that every state has their own laws. Here's something smart one mom had to say about the right age for kids staying home alone...

How ironic. It's uber-billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates that have researched and charted the relationship (or lack thereof) between poor parents and their children's high schools. Through their self-named foundation, the Gates' sponsored a new report entitled One Dream, Two Realities: Perspectives of Parents on America's High Schools--and the findings are revealing.

You've had to have noticed it. No matter what grade your child is in, male teachers are a minority. In younger grades, they are almost non-existent. An interesting article on Babble.com on the shortage of male teachers ponders a big question: How will my son ever learn that fathers aren't the only men in the world who are supposed to care about children?

During the presidential race it was intriguing what happened when journalists dug a little too deep for some tastes after it was revealed that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old  daughter was pregnant. When President-Elect Obama was asked about it, he said, and I paraphrase: Talk about her should be off limits. My mom was not much older when she had me. In fact his mom was 18.

Until you've crossed this bridge with your own little prince, you just won't know how you'll answer this one. I haven't gotten here yet myself, so I'll gladly defer to what I think is a well-balanced and thoughtful response that happy2bme7 gave to nuby's honest question: Is my 12 year old son too young to have a girlfriend?

photo by rockerchic

This question from alainabeck could've easily been mine: "How do I get my 5-year old to bed at a reasonable hour?

I really understand this mom's pain. On most nights I find myself hoping that my neighbors (who have five kids themselves) can't hear my two boys making all kinds of noise well past the time any kid with parents should be awake. It's not that I don't try to get them to bed much earlier. I really do. But after dinner, baths, books etc, it never fails; it's way past 8:30.