u A Special Call for Parents of Pre-Teens and Teens ~ Speak Out! t

There is a new concept out there that I think just might interest many of you parents of teens and pre-teens.  This idea, being developed by the Amron Corporation, is called the Family eJournal.  I was in contact with one of the developers to get some more information and below is what he had to say.  I know that they are seeking the feedback of parents to determine the value of the idea as well as some of it's functionality.  So, here's a chance to be heard!  Speak Out on how useful you think the Family eJournal would be.  Read the discription of the website below, and visit the Familyejounal.com website, then let emommies.net know your thoughts and opinions!

Summary of the Family eJournal by Kevin Strauss

Family eJournal (FEJ) encourages parents and teenagers to share their thoughts and feelings without face-to-face communication.  Sharing information this way is intended to improve family communication and connectedness and reduce high-risk teenage behavior.  The ultimate goal of FEJ is to improve the family's relationship and face-to-face communication by reestablishing trust and rapport through honest, open and guided written communication, which has it's own benefits.  FEJ website is a closed environment, meaning messages and information can only be exchanged with other family members.  One family member would be responsible for setting up the family's account and listing all family members.  

FEJ facilitates family communication through the use of the Daily Experience Worksheet (DEW).  This short list of questions, when answered and read by all other family members, should provide insight into each member's daily thoughts and feelings.  Further, more personal and private contact can be accomplished by writing memos to specific family members.  Such memos would be tagged as private and only read by the intended family member.   

Since users express themselves through writing many disinhibiting effects occur.  For example, when using FEJ, users may feel freer to express themselves because they are not writing for a specific audience.  Users can take their time when writing, reading and responding.  More thought can be given to each topic and a more appropriate response may be given.  All family members are given the same DEW questions on any given day.  This was intended to remove any gender biasing and to maintain equality between parents and teenagers.  

All family members are expected to share or divulge the same kind of information.  The level of sharing is up to the individual and over time, as trust and rapport improves, we expect families to share more openly and honestly.  

Although the DEW questions may seem simple, they are intended to guide and facilitate communication.  One example question may be "Rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best day ever."  Even a question this simple would let all other family members know how you feel today rather than simply replying, "I'm fine" when asked face-to-face.  DEW questions are not intended to be all encompassing and family members should consider initiating their own conversation by using the memo feature or by talking face-to-face, if appropriate.  

It is the responsibility of each family member to treat all information learned through FEJ with respect.  How you handle the information you learn will dictate the effectiveness of FEJ and, more importantly, the relationship you have with that individual.  Storming into a teenager's room after learning they tried smoking for the first time is a sure-fire way to get them to never openly share again.  Likewise, screaming at your parent because they've planned a family activity for the same night you were hoping to spend at a friend's house could quite easily put an end to both activities.  

If a topic originates in FEJ, it may be best to continue discussing it through the memo feature of FEJ.  In doing so, users will be forced to organize their thoughts and will have the time to present them in a more constructive manner rather than speaking out of emotion.  Upon proofreading a memo, a user may be able to express themselves more clearly or choose to rewrite their memo with a different, more productive tone.  

One of the greatest advantages of FEJ is that it is very accessible to all family types.  One only needs internet access to  stay connected to one's family through FEJ.  Parents can complete DEWs in a matter of minutes during a lunch break at work and teens can login during a free period at school.  In the case of single parent, dual income or divorced families, where an adult is not always available, FEJ may prove to be especially helpful in maintaining closeness and keeping the family connected.   

A special treat

For those of you with kids who are just starting to really take off reading, here's a cute little print out that you can give to your super readers.  This pencil bookmark is designed to encourage early readers to write down words they don't know instead of skipping over them.  Then, later on, they can take their list to mom or dad to find out the meaning of the troublesome words.  Or better yet they can look 'em up!  :-)

Just click on the pencil for a larger picture and then print it out.  If you have the ability, you can even add their name to the eraser part before you print it out for a more personalized look.  Once you've printed it out on a sturdy card stock, cut it out and viola!