Tag Archives: outings

General Safety Issues

SEVEN BENEFITS OF TEACHING YOUR TEEN TO DRIVE (GUEST POST)

The moment you’ve been dreading for nearly 16 years is finally here. It’s time for your teenager to learn how to drive. Whether it’s your first go-round or your last kiddo, you have to decide if you’re going to teach your teen to drive or let a professional driving instructor do it. If you’re still on the fence about what’s best for your teen, take a look at these seven benefits of teaching your teen to drive to help make your decision a little clearer. 

Teens may benefit most from hearing your personal driving experiences rather than from an instructor they don’t know. Talk to your teenager about your ups and down of driving and tell stories of any tickets or car crashes you were involved with and what you learned from those experiences. You can turn any personal driving story into a valuable learning lesson for your kid.

Drive whenever, wherever you want:
Homeschooled teens have more opportunities to practice driving whenever, wherever. Every outing to the grocery store, soccer practice, or trip to the city can be a valuable learning experience for your teen. This will help them become more comfortable behind the wheel and give them the opportunity to act out real-life scenarios.

3.    
After spending 50 hours or more supervising your teen behind the wheel, you’re sure to feel a lot more confident about their driving skills. Hopefully, they will have earned your trust by the end of the course and feel better about tackling the wide open road without you.

4.     Go more in-depth with the lessons:

As a driving instructor, you have the ability to go more in-depth with your lessons and talk about driving more often than driving school instructors. Unlike most driver’s education courses, you will have time to thoroughly discuss the before and after of every lesson and talk about other driving topics, such as maintenance, repairs, and the anatomy of a car. You can also teach your teen how to change a tire, jumpstart a battery, test the oil and coolant levels, and much more.

5.    
A huge benefit of teaching your teen to drive yourself is that you get lots of valuable one-on-one time. You don’t have to worry about other teens being in the car or instructors rushing through lessons. It’s just you and your child. During this time, you can discuss the seriousness of driving and talk about your driving expectations.

6.     < One of the biggest benefits of teaching your teen to drive is the convenience of being able to do it on your own time. You can organize the driving lessons to fit around your schedule and use nights or weekends to fit in lessons when it’s convenient for you and your child. You don’t have to mess with dropping off and picking up your teen after their driving education class.

7.     Teaching your teen to drive is cheaper than enrolling in a driver education school. Depending on where you live, a parent- teaching program will likely cost no more than $20 or $30. The money you save from not enrolling in a driver education school can be put toward your teen’s insurance or first car.

Our thanks to Arianna Bush for sending this interesting article. It really makes sense in many ways: you are able to judge your teen’s capabilities of handling a car, and see how serious they are about driving safely.  The most important thing either parents or drivers’ education programs can stress is not using cell phones while driving.  pb

 

 

General Safety Issues

SHOULD I LET MY NANNY/BABYSITTER DRIVE MY CHILDREN AROUND? (GUEST POST)

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(http://www.nannybackgroundcheck.com/blog/should-i-let-my-nanny-drive-my-kids-around/) Sent to us by Lindsay Samuels.

When it comes to having someone else transport their children from place to place in a vehicle, many parents have justifiable apprehensions. But as is the case with many personal decisions, when it comes to allowing your nanny to transport your children, there isn’t one answer that’s right for everyone.

As with most every choice, there will be pros and cons to your decision. When you allow your nanny to transport your children around it opens up the door to a new level of customized, personalized, and individualized childcare. Nannies who are allowed to transport their charges can embark on a variety of age-appropriate outings that they may not otherwise be able to venture on. These include trips to the library, local museums, zoo, parks, and friend’s homes for play dates. When parents allow their nanny to transport their children, it also opens the possibility for their children to partake in other rich social experiences, such as attending ‘mommy and me’ type classes or playgroups. Nannies who can transport the children can also take their charges to doctor and dentist appointments, preschool classes, or to any other necessary appointments that otherwise would pose a scheduling conflict for the child’s parents.

However, granting transportation rights also may have some downsides. For parents who worry about their children’s safety, their worry may outweigh any potential benefits of their children leaving their home in a vehicle driven by their nanny. Parents may worry that their nanny will abuse the transportation privilege and embark on errand running or other unapproved outings. For some parents, worry about giving over control of where their child goes and when to their nanny is a real concern.

Before making your decision on if you’ll allow your nanny to transport the children, consider these 5 factors:

Driving record and experience. Part of your nanny’s pre-employment screening should have included a driving record check. If you didn’t do one prior to hiring, now is the time to conduct one. Reviewing a copy of your nanny’s driving record will provide information on driving patterns, citations, and violations. But, as you know, the record will only include instances of bad driving if your nanny was caught. Taking your nanny for your own test drive or two can help give you a sense of her driving style. Inquiring to past nanny employers about your nanny’s experience in transporting her charges could also provide helpful insight.

Car seat and passenger safety knowledge. Chances are, if your nanny pointed out that your car seats were installed incorrectly (which up to 90% or more are), she’s concerned and knowledgeable about child passenger and car seat safety. Other indicators would include if she suggests you have your seats checked by a child passenger safety technician or if she is a safety technician herself, points out any aftermarket car seat products you have and suggested that they not be used, and asks if you have the children’s emergency contact information affixed to their car seats.

Insurance. When anyone is transporting your children you’ll want to be sure that they have proof of the proper insurance. If your nanny would be using your vehicle to transport the children, you’ll also want to make sure she is added as an additional insured driver. If she’ll be using her own vehicle, you’ll want to ensure that her coverage allows for transporting children as part of her job duties. Whether your nanny would be driving your vehicle or hers, it’s important to make sure that it’s safe for transporting the children.

Boundaries. For some parents, allowing their nanny to transport their children is not a black and white issue. For example, in some instances driving back roads to the library may be acceptable, but driving on the highway to the zoo is not. Some parents won’t want their nanny doing any personal errands, and others will gladly allow their child to accompany their nanny to the bank or post office, where they can experience and learn about waiting in line, how the bank or post office works, and what the workers there do. Some parents may prefer that their nanny calls upon leaving home and arriving at her destination, while others view that as an added stress and prefer the nanny to just call if assistance is needed.  Establishing boundaries that fit your family and clearly communicating them to the nanny can ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to transporting the kids.

Your comfort level. Above all else, your comfort level must be considered as you contemplate allowing your nanny to drive your children. Evaluating your level of trust for your nanny, your realistic versus perceived fears, and how much discomfort you’re willing to endure if it means your children having the opportunities you want them to have will help guide you in your decision making.

When hiring a nanny or babysitter, it’s essential to discuss the possibility of her driving the children during the interview. Many nannies expect that they’ll be allowed to transport the children, especially if they work outside the realms of public transportation. If your nanny has that expectation and it wasn’t uncovered prior to the nanny’s start date, it could be problematic. Few seasoned and professional nannies are willing to take on a position that requires them to stay in the home all of the time. If you’re against your nanny transporting the children, hiring a nanny without a license may be your best bet, as a nanny who doesn’t drive won’t have any interest in transporting your children.

 

General Safety Issues

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A SAFE SUMMER CAMP FOR YOUR YOUNGSTER

There’s nothing more fun than going away from home to camp for one week or several weeks, according to the type of camp.  My memories are of church camp, where we were only gone for a week.  There we met kids of our age group, and made many new friends, as well as learning things that (hopefully) made us turn out to be better individuals. 

Some families choose camps for their kids to attend every summer, maybe even for six weeks or more.  There are many things to consider if you’ve never sent your child away to camp.  We hope to have put together some ideas to help you investigate the camp you plan to send your child or children to.  There are many things to think about when choosing the camp that will be just right, such as, first, doing much planning.  If it’s the first time, it might be best to choose a camp that is not too far away from home, depending on the age of the youngster.  Be sure you visit a few camps before you decide.  Camps will have age-appropriate groups.

  • Check out the policies of the camp and make sure they are accredited by the American Camp Association, an organization that evaluates the safety standards, health programs, and operations of camps.  They support more than 2,200 camps.  The ACA is celebrating its’ 100th anniversary this year.
  • Find out about staff training and counselor orientation.  Camp counselors will be accompanying your youngsters each day.  You want to be sure that those who are supervising children have been properly screened and trained.
  • Learn about the camp’s discipline policies, as well as how emergencies are handled.
  • There are many camps that are specifically designed for special needs children, and are wonderful facilities that give them opportunities that they deserve to enjoy.
  • Another question to ask, what type of medical treatment is available for the minor camp injuries, as well as is there a written medical emergency policy approved by a physician?
  • Are there lifeguards on duty during swim time, and have the counselors and other staff members been trained in CPR?
  • Be sure that the particular camp that you are considering offers the types of things that are of interest to your youngster. 
  • Ask if there are outdoor excursions, what special protocols are observed; and if counselors bring communication devices.  Do they use the “buddy system”, and how do they prepare youngsters to be cautious of strangers?  Do they have a “lost camper” plan, and are parents required to sign a permission slip for these hikes, or outings?
  • As we suggested earlier, you might want to select one that is not too far away from home.  Remember, also, that during certain weather seasons, there are considerations to be given to things such as thunderstorms, or tornadoes in the area of the camp.
  • You will need to provide a copy of your child’s medical records, just in case of an emergency.
  • If your youngster has allergies, be sure you send those and other medications with him; also lots of sunscreen, insect repellent, and all the usual things one needs when being in the outdoors. 

All quality camps are going to be eager to answer any questions you have.  After all, it is your youngster that they are going to be responsible for, and they want to know that your child is going to come home with some great stories of summer camp, and eager to return next year.

There are no wrong questions to ask when it comes to safety.  Camping is a great life-learning experience and provides an unforgettable adventure for your child.