Education | Youth Parenting

4 Facts About DUI Charges

Image by Drimagez via Flickr

If you’ve been charged with a DUI, you have a number of decisions to make. For example, you’ll need to consider whether to hire an attorney or go without one. You’ll need to decide whether to try to expunge your record, or deal with the consequences of the charges. First, you should get the facts straight.

1) A lawyer can be helpful, but you aren’t required to have one. If you’ve been charged with a DUI, it’s unlikely that an attorney can help you avoid the consequences. However, he or she can make the process less confusing, and explain the legalese to you. An attorney can also appear in court for you and help you deal with the DMV.

2) A DUI felony is different from a misdemeanor. If it is your first DUI offense, it is most likely not a felony. However, the specific details vary from state to state, and depend on a number of factors. The courts will take your history, blood alcohol level, and a number of other factors into account.

3) In many states, you have ten days to request a DUI Administrative Per Se. If you want to keep your driver’s license, you need to go to the DMV for a hearing within ten days of your arrest. If you do not, the DMV will automatically suspend your license.

4) It may be possible to expunge your record. If you expunge your record, you won’t need to report your DUI to potential employers. Your DUI can severely impact your future employment opportunities, so expungement is an appealing option. An attorney can help you understand whether or not you’re a likely candidate, and help you present a convincing case for expungement.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: Driving under the influence, Jaime Pressly, Law

Giving Your Children a Good Future

Like most parents, you probably want the best for your children. How can you raise a happy, healthy child, and ensure a good future?

Naturally, good parenting starts with a caring environment. You want to create a warm home where your child feels loved and secure. Make sure your children know that you are happy to see them, and that you enjoy being with them.

On that note, spend time with your children. If you’re divorced, this may be more difficult, due to work obligations and your visitation schedule. Whatever your personal situation may be, it’s important that your children know that you care for them, and want to be with them.

Don’t feel like you need to entertain your children all the time. While putting in a movie may seem like the easiest way to pass the day, allow your children to do their own thing sometimes. Children need to imagine, create and play on their own.

Pay attention to your child’s education. Education is an important component of success, and you should be sure that your child is learning. Even if a child is in an excellent school, a good parent takes an active role in their learning. Even the best schools leave a few gaps, and as a parent, it’s your responsibility to fill those in.

Be an inspiring person. That sounds obvious, but it’s probably the most important thing you do as a parent. You’re a role model. Your children watch you and learn how to behave. So, work hard, enjoy life, and be an excellent parent.

Filed Under: Driving, Education Tagged With: Child, Family, Parent

What Aspects Of Sex You Need To Discuss With Your Teens

Teens already know about the biological activities that comprise the sex act. So, a discussion of the birds and the bees is probably a redundant one. However, there are certain aspects beyond the actual act that do not get discussed in basic biology. Part of these aspects are wrongly portrayed by the media’s casual treatment of sex as an act that can just be done between two friends. For teenagers, there is much more than mere friendship connected with the act and it is these types of things that get forgotten by both parents and teachers. This is why it is important to monitor what your kids are watching, whether on direct.tv or on the Internet.

The first aspect of sex that deserves a serious discussion is how sex affects a relationship. For teens most of their sex happens when they are in the girlfriend and boyfriend stage of their relationship. There is a whole other set of feelings intertwined within the act itself. Sex can easily change a relationship. Many teens are not aware of the hidden twists and turns that being that intimate can add to and take away from relationships.

The second aspect is the issue of self respect. Self respect as teenager is typically low. As a result, sex is seen as a way to gain self respect. The need for others to reinforce the idea that they are beautiful is a sign that a teen’s self respect is very low. Sometimes, they need their parents to talk to them about what self respect is and how to gain confidence about themselves instead of seeking an outside source. It is perfectly fine to get therapy for additional help on handling this problem.

Sex is much more of an involvement than what is portrayed on television or taught in schools. It has many more complications for the average teen. So, while the biological aspects are probably already known, it is up to you to teach their teens that there is much more to it than just an act.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Adolescence, Human sexual activity

Refinancing Auto Loans

Many individuals are unaware of the fact that the refinancing of loans does not only apply to mortgages but also car refinance loans. The refinancing of a loan simply indicates that a lender pays off the existing loan and offers you a new loan with a lower interest rate. There are numerous benefits to refinancing including lower monthly payments and interest rates, less time to repay the loan, an improved credit score and changing interest rate types.

The greatest advantage of car refinance loans is the potential to lower your monthly payments. Since many factors of the loan can change, the amount of money you must pay each month could also decrease. An additional value is the ability to change the car refinance loan duration. For instance, if an auto loan is slated for two years and you have already paid one, you could refinance at two additional years, thereby lowering the monthly payment as well. Improving your credit rating and score is another advantage, and if you refinance and change the duration of the loan, you will have more payments, thereby increasing the number reported to the credit agencies.

Finally, by refinancing, you will have the opportunity to change from a fixed interest rate to a variable rate and vice versa. This will protect you from interest rate increases that typically occur with a variable loan. If the interest rates are declining, then switching to a variable rate would be the best option. You are more likely to get approved if you apply for refinancing before most of your auto loan is paid off.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Interest rate, Loan, Refinancing

Education and Parenthood

If you interview youths of today on why they are still single and not married, one answer that most of them will give you is that they are still in school and must be properly educated before even thinking of marriage. There is no point contesting this as there are students that are also parents as well.

Although it can sound quite enticing, it is important for you to know that to be a parent and student at the same time demands extraordinary effort, planning and patience. If you are a female student and you are eager to become a parent, there is no harm in that but you need to get it straight by ironing out all issues that can be problematic in the future. For example, you may need to plan your pregnancy in such a way that you will give birth when the school is on break. You will not want to be encumbered with baby care when exams are fast approaching.

Another thing that you can do is to take a lengthy break from the school, have your kid and then go back to school. In most institutions, you may not be able to have more than a session off so you need to make your plans to be water-tight. If this cannot be done, then there is another radical measure that you can adopt is to get your first degree and then marry and have kids. After some decades, you can then continue schooling. Many parents in this category end up being in the same class with their kids and it is always an interesting sight. Financial difficulty may be the reason for going back to school later in life.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Infant, Marriage, Parent

The Responsibilities of Parenthood

Jack Whinery and his family, homesteaders, Pie...

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Being a parent is never easy. Being a parent during a massive economic recession is even tougher. That is because finding jobs and saving money can be extremely hard during a recession. Luckily, there are many ways that parents can be smart about saving their money and helping keep their family on budget.

If you are a struggling parent during this tough economic time here’s a look at some of the things you can do to save money and keep your family’s finances on the right financial track.

Extreme Couponing. While it might seem a bit odd to clip coupons that only save a quarter here and there, if you know how couponing can work best, you can really save hundreds of dollars. There are dozens of websites that can help parents learn the finer arts of using coupons and how to use coupons in conjunction with sales. This allows families to save money and get the basic essentials that they need.

Refinancing Options. Most families have to budget in a mortgage payment or car payment. It can be beneficial to families if they look into a mortgage or car loan refinance. The ability to refinance the loan allows the loan holders take advantage of lower interest rates and therefore reduce the amount of their monthly car or mortgage payment. These payments are lowered because the interest rates are lower and therefore the payment can be reduced.

Trimming the Excessive Spending. There are always ways that families can reduce the amount of excessive spending that they do. By sitting down and figuring out where you and your family can save money can help reduce the family’s budget. Many families can reduce their spending by eliminating things like dining out, getting coffee every morning or even downgrading their cell or Internet services. By trimming the excess of spending families are able to save the excessive amount of money every month.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Family, Home, Parent, Payment, Teens, United States

Learning Never Stops

Some of us never had the opportunity to go to college and earn a degree let alone a graduate degree like an MBA or PhD. But if we’re lucky, there is a person we’re close to who has gone through this experience and we get to share all the trials and tribulations with them. Sometimes we get to be a study partner and help them prepare for an exam or proofread a term paper. Although we didn’t do the research, we still get to benefit from being exposed to what they have learned. One thing I’m grateful for is being able to skip taking those strenuous college exams. I learned through a friend who was getting their MBA that the first big test they had to pass was the GMAT.

The GMAT is the exam every student must take if they want to get accepted into a graduate program. My friend was worried that she might fail until she stumbled upon a terrific GMAT prep course online. This was just like those old-fashioned prep books you would buy to get ready for tests like the SAT; but instead of learning by herself, she was actually participating in an online classroom atmosphere. She even had an instructor she could ask direct questions.

I know how beneficial this GMAT prep course was because she was able to explain to me all the different components that go into the exam. I even got to answer a sample question or two. Of course since I didn’t attend the class I got the answer wrong, but my friend knew the right answer. Thanks to this preparation she was able to take the test without any stress and plenty of confidence. Now armed with a high GMAT score, she can apply to many different colleges. I can’t wait to see what I’ll be learning from her next!

Filed Under: Driving, Education Tagged With: GMAT, Graduate school, Master of Business Administration, Test (assessment), Test preparation

Sex Education Starts at Home

If your child hits puberty and has heard nothing from his or her parents about the facts of life, the birds and the bees, or puberty, then you can bet that your child already knows a lot from school and has many misconceptions. It isn’t too late at this point, but for best results sex education should start early and come straight from mom and dad.

The earliest tenets of your family’s sex education does not even need to be about sex itself. Children pick up much of what they learn by watching their parents. When a six-year-old asks to have a sleepover with her best friend, telling her that “Boys and girls can not have sleepovers together” says a lot to her about future expectations.

Explain to a tween that they are embarking on many “firsts” in their life and that firsts are special. They may get a first job, go to a first school dance, get grounded for the first time. Show them that there are consequences for all firsts.

Dating is a topic that will need to reached early since so many children start having girlfriends and boyfriends in elementary and middle school. Setting an appropriate age limit for dating (15 or 16) early, gives your teens times to get to know themselves first and not be pressured to date. It is much easier for a teen girl to tell a cute boy that she is “not allowed to date until I am 15″ than it is for her to say, “I am not ready to start dating yet.”

When the time comes, your child needs to know that you have the facts and that you are willing to share them with him or her. Treating sex as a taboo subject only confirms in a teen that you as parents do not understand what is happening to them. Being willing to talk openly from an early age shows your children you care.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: Adolescence, Education, Parent, Sex education

Get Ready for April 15th With Tax Blog

Every year on April 15th, central post offices stay open until midnight to provide late tax filers with getting their returns postmarked by the deadline filing date. News crews stand by with cameras posing the question, “Why did you wait so long?” It doesn’t have to be that way. As complicated as filing tax forms can be (and it is!) help is just a mouse click away at tax blog. Will you be ready for April 15th?

Taken as a whole, the tax forms present a perfect example of what’s wrong with our government. They are bloated, overwritten and sometimes hard to understand. Yet, somehow we manage to muddle through. One valuable tip for preparing your return is not to wait until the last minute like those procrastinators. While it is true that you can’t really spring into action until you receive all your tax information for the year, you can still begin to gather together all your bills and records into an organized manner. This is vital for a family who intends to take deductions on their return. By starting early, you will have plenty of time to work through the forms, make adjustments and not feel pressured. By doing that, there is less chance of mistakes.

If you were truly organized, you managed to keep an ongoing record of these possible deductions as they came in throughout the year. This can be done “old school” by filing the receipts and statements into a file folder or you could go high tech by entering these figures into a software program set up for just such a purpose. A tax blog has plenty of insider information about preparing your returns because they’ve gone through the tax code line by line. There is no need for you to become an accounting expert when you can take advantage of all those helpful hints.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Accounting, Internal Revenue Service, IRS tax forms, Itemized deduction, Tax, Tax return (United States), TurboTax, United States

Bullying in School

Kids can be cruel. We have all heard it, seen it, experienced it. But to a 14-year-old who is in the middle of being teased daily at school, no amount of “I know what you are going through” is going to help.

Bullying is not something that should ever be overlooked or ignored. Teens have killed themselves while trying to deal with being made fun of by their peers while some people looked the other way.

People have said for years that bullies do what they do because of their own low self-esteem. To the person who is being bullied though, that is a hard thing to believe. All that they can see is that their world seems to be horrible and the bully is getting away with making it that way.

Because schools have been in the spotlight recently for turning a blind eye to bullying, it is important that someone in charge be notified if bullying is happening at school. They need to be given a chance to stop the problem. A good principal should be able to make sure it can be done in a way that does not throw any of the blame back at the teen who is being bullied.

A teen who is very upset or who seems to be bottling up his or her feelings should definitely see a counselor about their feelings and about coping strategies to deal with bullies. This is especially true for a teen who has disabilities or issues that might draw attention. Explaining to a child in a leg brace that making a joke about himself shows people the brace is not an issue can boost his or her self confidence immensely.

Always remember that if the bullying is happening outside of school, your teen and the teen who is doing the bullying needs to know that anything off school grounds is something that the police can be called over.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Adolescence, Bullying, Self-esteem