Kids love to play video games and the internet has an unlimited supply of entertainment for them. It’s pretty easy to imagine that internet gaming can quickly got out of hand without strict parental controls. It takes time for children to develop self control, so without limits, they would want to spend every waking moment playing games if possible. Parents need to take a pro-active approach to their kids and internet gaming. Here are just 10 of the rules parents should have for internet gaming.

1. Homework and chores first – It’s very easy for kids and adults alike to get caught up in a game and neglect everything else. Parents should have strict rules that there will be no video games until after the homework and chores are done. This gives kids the incentive to do their homework and chores, and then collect their reward.
2. Time limits – Parents should establish realistic limits for the amount of time their kids spend playing internet games each day. Some of these games can go on for hours and can be very addictive. A good rule would be to give equal time to playing outdoors or engaging in other activities.
3. Get parental approval – It’s very important that parents screen all internet games before allowing their kids to play them. There needs to be strict enforcement of this rule with strong consequences if they’re caught violating it.
4. No violent or adult content – Kids need to know that violent and explicit content in internet games will not be tolerated. The pleas of “Ah gee, it’s just a game,” must be ignored. Some of these games are very graphic and tend to desensitize kids to these disturbing images.
5. No downloading without permission – Many of these internet games come with computer viruses, so don’t allow kids to download anything without permission. This way you can make sure what games are downloaded and that they come from reputable sites.
6. Don’t give out passwords – It’s crucial that kids know not to ever give out passwords on the internet. Teach them how to come up with secure passwords and what the consequences are of they fall into the wrong hands.
7. Safe gamer names – Help your kids to come up with safe gamer names that protect their privacy. Use generic terms that don’t indicate age, race, gender or location. Online predators will use the tiniest bit of information to entrap unsuspecting children.
8. Report bullying – Parents should make sure their kids are aware of online bullying and that it must be reported. Also make sure your kids are not the ones doing the bullying. Some people like to use the anonymity of the internet as license to harass and taunt other players.
9. Watch for predators – Be sure your kids know about online predators and what to watch for. Younger children should only be allowed to play with other gamers approved by their parents and never allow them to meet online friends unsupervised.
10. Prohibit gambling – Make sure kids know that online gambling is illegal for kids and is strictly prohibited. This could be extremely dangerous and expensive, especially if they get a hold of your credit card.

When parents work together with their kids they can establish guidelines to protect both themselves and the computer. Parents should play the games with their children to help them learn the rules and teach them how to report abuse or inappropriate behavior. Online games can be both fun and educational, so by having firm rules in place, the internet can be a source of great entertainment for the whole family.

Academic achievement is always worthy of a reward, and kids should know their efforts are appreciated. If you’re looking for some way to acknowledge your young scholar for a job well done, we’ve got some suggestions for you. Here are 10 ways to reward kids for good grades:

1. Expand their freedoms. If they have a curfew, stretch it another 30 minutes to an hour. Let them stay up a little later than normal. Allow them to experience some of the independence that comes with success.
2. Raise their allowance. As in the business world, achievements can be quite lucrative. By giving your child a little bump in pay, they can begin to learn that lesson early on (keep it reasonable or they might just perform you into a financial hole).
3. Get them a cell phone if they don’t already have one, or an upgrade if they do – either a better phone, increased minutes, or texting privileges. Again, the lesson for your child is that when they produce, they earn additional trust and perks.
4. Treat them to a special dessert after dinner, and let them choose it. It’s a special occasion and worthy of celebration. This sort of recognition is an excellent incentive for all your kids, by the way and won’t cost you too much to leave a lasting memory.
5. Video Games – If you’ve been enforcing strict hours of usage on their video games, relax them for a while. Especially if you’ve been harping on them about how it affects their schoolwork, it’s time to show them that it works both ways.
6. Internet – If you’ve been limiting your kid’s time online, allow him or her to spend some time apart from homework, surfing, or chatting with friends. Good grades show you that they have been doing their part. Now it’s time to do yours (but we would still recommend keeping decent controls on this so they don’t slip into bad habits).
7. Movie Night – If you have a family movie night, let your child pick the flick for the evening, maybe even for the week. Let them have the TV remote for the evening for an optional form of reward, or choose the snacks for the family movie.
8. Buy him or her a gift. It may be something that they have been working hard to earn all along, or something special you’ve thought up all on your own. Either way, it’s a great idea for telling your child that you’re proud of their accomplishments.
9. Media – Some local TV and radio media let their viewers and listeners call in to announce events like birthdays and anniversaries. Why not send a congrats & thank you to your child and publicly acknowledge her efforts?  At a minimum, kids actually do like it when you brag about them on FaceBook, Twitter, etc. (even though they may act embarrassed).
10. Day Trip – Make arrangements to visit an amusement park, sporting event, museum, movie, whatever. Let your child pick the venue if you like. It will do wonders for his motivation; but most importantly, it will show him that his hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Most of the time we applaud the “mother’s instinct” and usually it is right on target; particularly so in emergency situations. We all have instincts and usually they can help us out in the majority of situations. With that being said, there are situations when those instincts can work against parents and at times the results are not seen until years, maybe even decades, later. Here are a few examples.

1. The need to be liked – Nearly every human being wants to be liked by others. That extends to parents. It’s amazing how much control our kids can have over us by displaying behavior that shows we have fallen out of favor with them. Some parents will do almost anything to gain or keep their child’s approval. In reality, this is not helpful. Boundaries need to be set and rules enforced. Your child may not like you for a minute, but those feelings won’t last long. Children need and want boundaries. It makes them feel safe.
2. Protection from harm – Of course, you want to protect your child from harm. You wouldn’t be much of a parent if you didn’t feel that way; however, over protection can lead to serious problems. Keeping your child in an entirely sheltered environment can leave them ill prepared to deal with the real world. The world will not change to fit the needs of your child. You must teach your child how to navigate in the world.
3. Trying to be fair – Parents with more than one child often experience the challenge of trying to make everything fair. The truth is things are not always fair. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but it is a fact. The best way to work it out with children is to have a talk with them and help them to understand that life is full of both fair and not so fair situations.
4. Taking responsibility – There is a strong instinct to take responsibility. Being a parent means being responsible. Yet, there are times when our children have to take responsibility for their own actions. If you always step in and excuse your child for his or her behavior and never let the child accept the consequences of misbehavior, then you are setting your child up for misery down the road. You won’t always be there to run interference.
5. Holding a grudge – Some people have a natural instinct to hold a grudge against someone they feel has wronged them. This doesn’t work well with children. If your child does something wrong, mete out the discipline and be done with it. Grudges don’t accomplish anything.
6. Perfect children – Every parent wants to believe that they have perfectly behaved, perfectly honest children. Sometimes parents have difficulty acknowledging imperfections they may see in their children, or they may go to great lengths to eradicate them. No one is perfect. Everyone has something that could be improved upon. Acknowledging your child’s shortcomings and helping them overcome them in a thoughtful manner is much more helpful than pretending they don’t exist or trying to ridicule them away.
7. Providing for your children – What kind of parent would you be if you didn’t provide for your children? The instinct is to provide, but sometimes parents overdo it by giving their children everything they want, and more. There is a lot to be said for teaching your children about working for what they want and delayed gratification.
8. The need to be in control – There is a survival instinct that causes us to want to be in control of our circumstances. Once you become a parent you can rest assured you will be somewhat in control of most circumstances, but that’s about the most you can hope for. For your own wellbeing and the sanity of your family, you may need to check your need for control.
9. The need to wield power – For some there is an instinct to wield power over others. This instinct can lead to power struggles with your toddler as well as teenagers, and the ages in between; not to mention the fact that infants pretty much hold all the power concerning their needs and desires. Learn to ease up on the power trip and try negotiation instead.
10. Resisting change – When we find ourselves in comfortable situations our instincts tell us to stay right where we are. Even though everyone knows the only constant is change, most of us resist it. Parenting is all about change. So, the only thing to do is to accept that life is going to be in a constant state of change and enjoy the ride.

The instincts we have are there to guide us and protect us from the unknowns we face daily. As parents we need to know when to ease up on letting some of our instincts take over and when to seriously pay attention to them. If we grasp the notion that sometimes they can cause us to be over-protective, over-bearing or worse, then perhaps we can monitor them and make them work for us instead of against us.