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Top 3 Priorities For Great Parenting

February 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment

great parenting tipsParenting is a big job for everyone who starts a family, but that does not mean that parents can do everything alone. With simple tips and tricks, parents can bring up their kids to be successful students, hard workers and well-rounded people. A combination of academic assistance, real world experience and motivation can change a kid’s life from average to extraordinary almost overnight.

Education and Test Preparation

Every student will be subjected to a massive number of standardized tests of their time in school. However, not every student performs well on these tests without help. Investing in test and academic preparation with Barron Test Prep can help a student to learn how to take standardized tests effectively without feeling stressed or over-burdened.

Academic and study assistance can also help students to pass classes that they would otherwise fail due to poor teaching or poor curriculum. With a study helper, every student can get through the most difficult and stressful classes they can take in school. Without this assistance, students cannot learn how to get through tough classes, graduate high school and college and become successful in life.

Choice Activities

Every child should have the chance to participate in different activities throughout their life. However, a child should not be over-burdened with the activities that they participate in. Children should be given activity options that include sports, musical instrument lessons and lessons in foreign languages.

Students should get a choice of activities that they can become highly proficient in. When a child has the opportunity to become a great baseball player and a great clarinetist, they are not distracted by the myriad other activities on their plate. Children should be given the chance to be great, but they cannot be great at everything all at the same time.

Freedom

When students are given the freedom to be themselves, they are able to more fruitful and more successful in life. The unfortunate reality of parenting children is that they eventually grow up and leave the house. However, they must learn how to be themselves before they are sent out into the real world to fend for themselves.

Even when parents are investing in academic prep courses and music lessons, the child still needs a chance to be free to do what they want. Children need time to be with their friends, to go to parties, to have sleepovers and to just be kids.

Parents are charged with making sure that their kids are ready to leave the nest, but kids are never going to be ready to leave the nest if they are sheltered and coddled.

When parents are looking at the best ways to help their children thrive, they must consider all the possible options out there. Children should be given all the academic assistance they need to succeed in life. Children should also be given a chance to excel at sports, music and languages so that they have something that distinguishes them from their peers. Finally, children must be allowed to be themselves and discover who they are.

When parents give their children all of this help, children grow up to be healthy, happy and comfortable adults who can thrive with children and families of their own.

What other tips do you have?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: freedom, great parenting, learn a language, top parenting tips

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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11 Ways Kids Are Outsmarting Parental Controls 1. Using Alternate Devices One common trick is simply turning to another device. If a child’s main phone or tablet is restricted, they may borrow a sibling’s, friend’s, or even a school laptop. This instantly gives them access to content outside of parental oversight. Parents often focus on one device, forgetting that others in the household can serve as loopholes. Knowing this tactic helps families tighten controls across all electronics. 2. Clearing Browsing Histories Many kids quickly learn that clearing browsing history hides evidence of restricted activity. With just a few clicks, they can erase any trace of websites visited. This makes it harder for parents to notice when rules are being broken. Parents may assume no history means no browsing, but the reality is often the opposite. Kids are outsmarting parental controls by making it seem like nothing happened at all. 3. Using Private Browsing Modes Most browsers offer “incognito” or private browsing features. Kids use this mode to access websites without leaving a record in the history. To parents checking later, everything looks clean and safe. This simple trick is often one of the first ways kids discover how to bypass restrictions. Conversations about private browsing can help close this gap. 4. Guessing or Resetting Passwords Children who are persistent may try to guess passwords to parental control apps or accounts. Others may find ways to reset them through email prompts or security questions. Once inside, they can disable restrictions entirely. Parents may not even realize controls have been altered until much later. Stronger, less predictable passwords can make this more difficult. 5. Using VPNs to Hide Activity Virtual private networks, or VPNs, let kids disguise their online locations. With one downloaded app, they can bypass geographic or parental restrictions. Some children learn about VPNs through friends or even social media. This makes it easy for them to reach content that should be blocked. Parents often underestimate just how simple it is for kids to use these tools. 6. Creating Fake Accounts When parents monitor social media, kids may create hidden accounts. These “finstas” or fake profiles allow them to interact freely without parental oversight. While their main account appears harmless, the secondary one tells a different story. Kids are outsmarting parental controls by playing both sides at once. Checking for duplicate accounts can help parents stay more aware. 7. Exploiting Time Zone Settings Some kids change the time zone on their devices to bypass screen time limits. This trick allows them to gain extra hours of usage undetected. Parents may assume controls are working, but in reality, the child is bending the clock. It’s a clever loophole that highlights just how resourceful kids can be. Monitoring device settings regularly can catch this tactic. 8. Disabling or Uninstalling Apps Parental control apps can be deleted or disabled with surprising ease. Some kids even reinstall them before a parent checks, making it seem like nothing changed. Others may simply restrict permissions to prevent apps from functioning properly. When apps aren’t monitored closely, parents may not notice they’ve been tampered with. This shows the importance of consistent follow-up. 9. Turning to Friends for Access If a child can’t get past restrictions on their own, they may rely on friends. Visiting a friend’s house or borrowing their phone can give them a free pass. Parents often forget that peer environments can override restrictions set at home. This kind of social workaround is especially common with gaming or social media. Open conversations about trust and responsibility are essential. 10. Hiding Apps in Plain Sight Kids sometimes download apps that look innocent but serve as gateways to hidden activity. These apps may disguise themselves as calculators or utilities. In reality, they allow file storage, private messaging, or browser access. Parents glancing at a home screen may overlook them entirely. Learning to recognize these disguised apps can help parents stay informed. 11. Outpacing Parents’ Tech Knowledge Finally, kids often know more about devices than their parents do. Whether through YouTube tutorials, TikTok hacks, or peer groups, they quickly learn advanced workarounds. This knowledge gap means controls can be bypassed before parents even realize the loophole exists. Staying informed and continually learning about new technology is the best defense. Kids are outsmarting parental controls because they adapt faster than most adults. The Real Solution Lies Beyond Restrictions While controls and filters are important, no system is perfect. Kids will always find creative ways around barriers, making communication the strongest safeguard. Setting clear expectations, building trust, and having ongoing conversations about online behavior matter more than apps alone. Parents who combine technology with open dialogue create a safer digital environment. The goal isn’t to win a battle of wits but to build a relationship that keeps kids both safe and honest. Do you think kids are outsmarting parental controls faster than parents can keep up? Share your experiences in the comments below. What to Read Next... 6 Parenting Tech Shortcuts That Can Expose Your Child to Strangers How Much Screen Time Is Too Much—Legally Speaking? Is Your Child’s School Quietly Tracking Their Location Without Your Consent? How Much Screen Time Is Quietly Reshaping Childhood Behavior? Why Some Parents Are Being Investigated Over Homeschooling Records

11 Ways Kids Are Outsmarting Parental Controls

Catherine Reed

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