Chapter 24
Some Great Family Websites and Parenting Resources
I've found some favorite parenting sites, and there are new ones daily. They are a wonderful resource for parenting tips and can help you when you're feeling all alone, as parents. There are two sites that I think parents should be bookmarking before any others, Family.com and FamilyPC.com.
Family.com (www.family.com)
This site has taken over the old Family Planet site and added Disney pizzazz. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into making it easy to navigate and user-friendly. It contains something for every family. Want an activity for your 6-year-old? Insert your child's age, and click. Voila! Thinking about adopting? . . . no problem. Planning a family vacation? You've got it. Everything for everyone.
Disney's cornering the children's market continues into cyberspace with this site filled with activities and subjects ranging from Learning, Travel and Food, to general parenting. This site is filled with a number of useful family tools including free electronic greeting cards and reference sites to help kids with homework and other projects. A separate message board and chat section add an interactive aspect to the site giving parents and kids alike the opportunity to comment and converse with other visitors to the site.
FamilyPC.com (www.familypc.com)
This is the website for FamilyPC magazine. Robin Raskin, whom I mentioned before, is "Internet Mom" at the site and the magazine's editor-in-chief on the ground. The site provides answers to all of your online computing questions. When friends ask me something I don't know . . . I send them there for answers. (That way I can still take the credit for providing them with a good online resource.) Fun and interesting to read, the site is also very easy to work through.
Then surf around and find your favorites from these terrific parenting sites.
Parenttime (www.parenttime.com)
A spokesperson from Parenting said that the format will probably mirror that used on their AOL Thrive site. Although nothing is firm yet, I'll assume that the chats and boards will remain the same. Currently, there are chats in the site for expectant moms of every month. They even have a nurse midwife, behavioral specialist (counselor), family therapist, an ob-gyn and a nutritionist. There's a teen chat as well.
Although Parenttime is still under construction, it has considerable online experience and talent behind it. Formed as a joint venture between Colgate-Palmolive and Time Warner, and using Pathfinder as a resource, it expects to quickly rival the other parenting sites online. We'll have to wait and see. Though if my sister, Deanna Aftab Guy, M.D., stays with them, they can't go wrong.
Mom and Pop Get Wired (www.mompop.com)
This site bills itself as the hippest parenting site on the Web. It may be right. In addition to live chats and lots of discussion groups, it's joined forces with Yahoo! to bring you the latest news stories of interest to parents. Are you a frustrated author? The site gives you a special 'zine just for parents. Submit your manuscript, or whatever you want, and they'll publish it. (Well, at least anything you submit within reason . . .)
Parent Soup (www.parentsoup.com)
This site has live chats and a terrific selection of discussion groups. In its Q&A sections you can contact experts on discussion boards or sift through the archived questions on pediatrics, family counseling, nutrition, colleges, and activities for tots. You'll find information about special parenting situations as well as the meat and potatoes stuff. The nutritionist not only answers questions about how to eat right, but also how to handle the preferences of picky eaters.
You have to register at the site to access their discussion boards and live chats. (You can download a chat server plug-in right from a link at the site.) If there's something you want to share, want to try, or want to talk about that's related to parenting, I guarantee you'll find it here (and if you don't, you can become the leader of your own group).
The site recognizes that parents have a life outside of their role as parent; there's tons of information on topics like marriage, dealing with a dysfunctional family, depression and marriage, and finding a great book to read or vacation to take. (After all of that, you'll need one!)
Foster Parent Community (www.fosterparents.com)
One of the most informative foster parenting sites I've found. It has articles ranging from medical and health tips to those by foster children. It has adoption information too, as well as grandparents raising grandchildren.
In addition to great articles, the site has a chat channel, where foster parents and others can chat with each other, live. (You'll need an IRC program, though.) It also has great links, resources and information about foster parenting and adoption by state and country. Finally, you can sign up for a list serv on foster parenting.
Got a question you want a professional to answer? Try Parenting—Q&A
(www.parenting-qa.com) It's run by the parenting publication leaders, Parents Plus, Inc., who usually answer questions posted by visitors to the site within a few days. It's a particularly good site for parents with younger children who have lots of questions about what to expect and when to expect it.
Another favorite is ParentsPlace.com (www.parentsplace.com)
With 250 separate discussion boards, there's nothing that relates to parenting that hasn't already been discussed here. I've shared more about ParentsPlace in our "Special families . . . special children" chapter, but it has great areas for parent-to-parent chats and advice. You'll always find someone who's been there and done that . . . it's comforting to know you're not alone. And, you're never alone in ParentsPlace. They have over 500,000 visitors a month.
The content is always fresh at ParentsPlace, with at least four new articles added daily to the home page. The most popular areas include "Expecting Clubs," "Trying to Conceive Community," "Breastfeeding," "Parents of Toddlers," "Marriage" and "Frugal Living" forums. David Cohen and Jackie Needleman (husband and wife) run the site from their home, assisted by seven other parents from around the U.S.
Folks Online (www.folksonline.com) is a good starting place for newbies. It has a special feature called "Net Newcomer," just for newbies, and many other areas that are helpful when you're first getting started online.
Parenting on the Web (www.geocities.com/heartland/9530)
This is a great site, where parents review other sites and resources for parents on the Web. Maybe because it's written by other parents, I thought their reviews were relevant and thoughtful. I found myself in agreement with the reviewers most of the time. It is also a good source of parenting links.
The Daily Parent (www.dailyparent.com) is loaded with articles and resources for parents. Their topic finder gives you a choice of many topics relating to parenting, and will search for articles on the topic you select. It's an easy way to navigate a big site, especially for newbies.
Parent News (www.parent.net) is a terrific site packed with simple and easily accessible information for parents. I especially like their book and movie reviews. They have a weekly article about parenting (which I always enjoy) and a daily parenting tip. Their daily homework site resource is a good feature, one that many parents check daily with their children.
Sesame Street Parents (www.ctw.org/parents) is a good general parenting site. There are parenting discussion areas, reviews of products and one of my favorites—Our Family Journal, where Jahnna and Malcolm share their family stories in ways other parents can truly appreciate. Its an easy site to enjoy.
Parenthood Web (www.parenthoodweb.com) is a very complete site, with live chats, articles, weekly spotlights and a free weekly electronic newsletter which is delivered to you by e-mail. It has a product recall list and lots of child safety and medical tips.
Home and Family (www.homeand family.com)
This site is an extension of The Family Channel's (www.familychannel.com) popular TV show. It contains a show diary and interesting features on parenting, relationships and health. If you fill out a "viewer profile" they will e-mail you to alert you to special show segments of interest to you. They also promise to use the profile information only to provide this service, and not to disclose it.
Steve and Ruth Bennett's Family Surf Board (www.familysurf.com) is a fun and informative site for families. The site contains recommended websites for kids and one of my favorite features—the children's Internet Activity Center. The Children's Internet Activity Center is a terrific start for your family websurfing. Steve Bennett also has a column he writes for Cleveland Parent about parenting challenges in this technological age. You can also find some great demo of new software in their Demo Depot.
The Moms on the Internet . . . Cybercelebs All
Multimedia Mom (www.multimediamom.org) Bonnie Scott formed the MultMedia Mom Network as a place where parents and educators can join forces to review and evaluate children's media. They review children's products "with a keen eye to issues of gender, culture and violence, and are very choosy about what [they] approve." The reviews are posted monthly. Bonnie also operates a list serv, which you can subscribe to from the site.
Bonnie told me that although everyone is talking about how cyberspace is changing parenting, no one realizes how much parenting is changing cyberspace. She's right. Just look at the ways families are using the Internet and how much rich content there is providing support to parents of children of all types and special needs. In taking us into the future, the ease in which parents can share experiences with other parents takes us back too . . . back to when parents could rely on each other for assistance and support.
When you check out the MultiMedia Mom site, you can spot the amount of creative talent devoted to the site by Bonnie and her volunteers. Bonnie has a background in award-winning children's videos, many of which were widely acclaimed. MultiMedia Mom was the result of years of Bonnie's research into what children learning media works best for kids. Bonnie also appears weekly on Debbie Nigro's talk radio show, Working Mom on the Run, with her MultiMedia Mom minute.
Her mission statement says it all:
I . . . wanted to make a difference. The true heroes of our world are not alien-fighting ninjas or mutant anything, rather the true heroes are those men and women who model peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Facts are the essential tools of a child's imagination, and a rich imagination is the key to a happy, healthy child. Our job, as parents, is to provide opportunities that enrich our child's imagination, to passionately encourage its growth and to cherish its wonders.
CD-ROM Mom (www.cd-mom.com) Wendy Dubit is the publisher and editor (and the "Mom") at CD-ROM Mom, a family site with information about multimedia and computer activities. Wendy shares that the site (and CD-ROM's which she proposes to market) is "designed to bring the family together in activity, education and fun[.] . . . CD-ROM Mom is a place where appropriate technology and meaningful content meet—bringing us to a greater understanding of ourselves, our families, our communities, our world."
Net-mom (www.netmom.com). Jean Armour Polly is undoubtedly one of the most famous and successful of all the Internet moms. In fact, she invented the term "surfing the Internet" way back in 1992, in the days before the Mosaic web browser, and just about the time when Berners-Lee released HTTP on the general population to form the Web.
Jean Armour Polly is best known as the author of the best-selling children's book The Internet Kids Yellow Pages, published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill ($19.95 ISBN 007-882-197-5). Her newly updated and expanded edition, The Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages was recently released. My local Barnes & Nobles store tells me they can't keep enough of them in stock, they're so popular. (I've got to learn about marketing from that woman!)
Her yellow pages collection is more than a mere list of sites. Jean has reviewed every single site to make sure it's family and kid friendly. Her netmom.com site has updates and sample sites from the book. (www.netmom.com/ikyp/index.htm) You can even order the book online. The netmom.com site also offers a free newsletter that is e-mailed to you each week describing family-friendly sites and pointers.
A librarian by training, Jean is very proud of her involvement with the landmark "Project GAIN:Connecting Rural Public Libraries to the Internet" study. In 1993 Jean also became one of the first two women elected to the Internet Society Board of Trustees, the most prestigious organization in the Internet industry. She's an extraordinary woman. I could devote an entire book to describing how much she's done for the Internet and for families online.
Interactive Mom (www.interactivemom.com) Kolene Tanner is Interactive Mom. She has a nice touch, with lots of "down home" advice for parents. She also deals with serious issues, like juvenile delinquency. She endeared herself to me by her choice of photo for her bio section. (Where she's licking a spoon from an obviously delicious, and now totally empty, roasting pan.)
Internet Mom (www.familypc.com) Robin Raskin, whom I've talked about relentlessly throughout this book, is Internet Mom. She's also the editor-in-chief of Family PC magazine.
Her online columns on the trials and tribulations of raising kids in this computer age are one of the best things about the familypc.com site. She manages to cut to the heart of the issue, with humor and insight few can match. Respected as a leader in the emerging field of children and technology, Robin was also a key spokesperson before the FTC on the recent hearings on privacy and child protection.
While many people are jumping on the children and the Internet bandwagon, this isn't a new fad for her. Robin has been writing about kids and computers for over 15 years. As a freelance writer trying to break into publishing while juggling the task of raising kids at the same time, she submitted an article titled "How I Learned About Computers to Save Our Marriage"—the story of learning UNIX to keep pace with her husband, which started her on this unwaivering course.
Before coming to FamilyPC, Robin was Editor of PC Magazine. She has written two books on kids and computers, and recently served as Series Editor for three new family computing books from Hyperion.
She has three children ages 17, 15 and 11 and lives a highly "connected
life" in both New York City and the beautiful Hudson Valley.
SGT MOM's Kidz (www.sgtmoms.com) Kathleen (Kathy) Motteler is SGT MOM. Kathleen is an army wife and mother currently stationed at NAB Little Creek VA. SGT MOM'S is a website devoted to the special needs of families in the armed forces. It's a very popular site, with thousands of visitors daily. Kathy first dreamed up the idea for SGT MOM'S when she felt a need for a more casual form of support that couldn't be found in official channels. Being an army wife meant losing friends every time they moved.
When she moved one time too many, she found that although she treasured her children dearly, she craved friends and adult conversation. In her own words, I'll let Kathleen tell you how she wandered around cyberspace, clueless about where she was going or how to get there. It'll also show you how nervous she was getting online. And just look! A few years later and she's one of the leading "moms" online. It'll inspire even the most fearful among you.
SGT MOM . . . In Her Own Words
[After we got our computer] my husband tried and tried, dragging me kicking and screaming to the keyboard, but I was not at all interested. I was also sure if I touched the computer I would somehow explode it or melt it into a puddle of Technicolor goo.
Finally boredom took over, and while the girls napped one day, I got online. But, I had no idea what to do! I just wildly moved the mouse around and clicked constantly. The screen began flipping and changing and suddenly I saw something that said "parents chat." I had accidentally clicked my way into ParentsPlace!
I saw "chat with other parents" and stopped to read what it said! Then I noticed that certain words were underlined and colored and when I moved the mouse cursor over them a hand popped up! So I clicked! Don't ask me how, but I made it through the registration process and started chatting that day! I loved it! And the other chatters took pity on newbies like me! I didn't say much, I was too shy, but I listened and took notes . . . I literally had a notebook and inkpen writing down stuff they said!
The other chatters had homepages, and after visiting a few of them I decided this is what I was looking for! I just had to figure out how to create my own home page! No easy trick . . . but I was determined and committed! I wanted to create a place for military spouses. Some place where we could meet others in the same boats. My idea was that if they signed up for keypals, someone coming to their area might read it and they could make a friend before they got to their new dutystation! They could also get good information on the housing, the schools, and the neighborhoods. Something welcome packets never tell you!
They would also not be so lonely during all the deployments and Temporary duties. I felt there were many other military spouses out there like me that for whatever reasons were slipping through the cracks, and I knew this was the way to reach them! As I continued to chat, I started meeting them.
After being on line two weeks and chatting every afternoon during naptime, I had followed a link on someone's homepage to a place that offered e-z and free homepages made on line. I leaped at the chance and even though I had no clue HOW to make the homepage, I knew WHAT I wanted on the page!
I learned HTML rather quickly and soon at the urging of another chatter who created the SGT MOM logo, my husband downloaded an editor for me. I began playing with it, taught myself how to use it (without reading the directions . . . don't understand techno babble at all) and started redesigning SGT MOM'S. In 6 weeks' time, I had created something I was proud of and we loaded it to the server. It was an instant hit.
I began getting letters from military spouses all over the world! Soon after I started getting letters from active duty, vets, extended family, and brats. All wanting me to include them in my site too. It has been since January 1996 and I have learned much along the way. My site has evolved many times over too.
Today I work full time on SGT MOM'S, often times putting in 40-60 hours a week or more. Recently, following my latest move, it was time to accept the offers of volunteer help from my two closest cyber pals and military spouses.
I still do the vast majority of all work on SGT MOM'S. Carrie a Navy spouse is answering the general mail, and Ker an Airforce spouse is helping behind the scenes.
This isn't a website yellow pages (I'll leave that to Jean Armour Polly and her bestselling books), but in surfing to research the book, I found places I loved that our kid testers loved too.
For Girls:
G.I.R.L. (www.worldkids.net/girl/welcom2.htm)
A pen pal club for girls between 8 and 14 years of age. There's also a newsletter and activity list for G.I.R.L. members.
Cyber Sisters (www.worldkids.net/clubs/CSIS/csis.htm)
Is for girls between the ages of 6 and 18 and provides a resource for pen pals and worldwide communication with list servs.
For Boys
Guys (www.worldkids.net/clubs/guys)
A pen pal club for boys between 7 and 17 years of age. There's a sports discussion group and other activities for boys.
For Everyone
Kids-Page—Multnomah County Library (www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids)
This site is for everyone and is everything a public library site should be. It has wonderful online resources, and still encourages the kids to get a library card to be able to participate in a scavenger hunt about books. I wish I lived in Multnomah County!
Star Wars Page at Texas A&M (www.aero25.tamu.edu/~swpage/index2.html)
A great site for you Star Wars' fans . . . with lots of information about the "prequel" and everything else any diehard fan would want.
The Dinosaur Society (www.dinosociety.org/homepage.html)
A great site for dinosaurs. The Dinosaur Society handled the tour of the Jurassic Park dinosaurs around the United States, and has lots of information about it.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(www.metmuseum.org/htmlfile/education/ kid.html)
The Metropolitan Museum has designed a page for families and kids. It's the best way to tour a museum when the kids are small, from your arm chair.
Family Internet (www.familyinternet.com)
This is a great site for teenagers. Glitzy and glossy, it speaks their language. With movie stars, TV stars and rock stars leading the way, your teens can surf the site and learn a few things (okay . . . nothing terribly substantial, but a few things nonetheless . . . ) Our teen testers tell me it's great for anyone over 12 years old.
Headbone Zone (www.headbone.com)
Older kids a problem? Too old for Sesame Street and Arthur, but too young for teen sites? I found a great site, The Headbone Zone, with lots of games and featuring the Gigglebone Gang. It has an interactive costume site, where, after installing Shockwave, a free plug-in for your web browser, your child can dress Elroy in costumes and disguises. It's a great site for a rainy afternoon—or a sunny afternoon—if your children are between 8 and 12 years old.