Parenting On The Web
Whether or not you believe that any of the young women featured on CBS News 48 Hours committed a crime, they may not have been ready for parenthood. And that's where the Web can be helpful. There is a rich storehouse of resources on the Internet that can make virtually anyone a more informed parent.
Here is a rundown of some of the best sites:
As seen on 48 Hours, Project Cuddle is a program to help young women deal with pregnancy. Founder Debbe Magnusen, who runs the group from her house, on a small budget, counsels pregnant women, and regularly connects them with couples who want to adopt their babies. This site offers basic information about the project, including a toll-free number to call for help.
Parent Soup is an online community that offers a wealth of aesthetically presented and easy-to-navigate advice from experts and other parents. For kicks, there is also a popular "Baby Name-Finder" that lets viewers find the root and meaning of just about any name.
The "parenting" section of Disney's "Family.com" site contains provocative, timely features about parenting. In addition, the site has a searchable database with a built-in set of topics and age groups; for example, you can look up every archived feature that deals with "eating" and "three-year-olds."
Positive Parenting Online is a great resource for picking up interesting tips with features like "10 keys to successful parenting." The site was developed by Deborah Critzer, who calls herself a certified parenting instructor and trainer.
Parent News contains a weekly parenting article, in addition to tips, facts, and lists of related books. The archive contains passed features on a range of topics, from step-parenting to divorce. One of the site's most interesting features is the "homework" section, which can help you to help your kids with their assignments.
ParenthoodWeb is another great resource for parents who are interested in improving their skills at child-rearing. You can use this site to forward a specific question to an expert, or to browse through features as diverse as "Alternatives to Spanking," or "How to Stop a Toddler From Biting."
The Parents Raising Teens and Pre-Teens site is intended to help bridge the generation gap by fostering communication. This site offers parents interactive online counseling, a recommended reading list, an online surveys. The professional, glitzy layout makes it engaging and easy to navigate.
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