The most recent census shows that more children than ever are growing up in homes with computers. Nearly two-thirds of all kids between the ages of 3 and 17 live in homes with computers and nearly one-third of these kids have gone online. This indicates that tweens rely on computers as a way to find out information and facts that they need. This would also allege that today’s tweens are untrained to find important facts the “old fashioned” way.

Think back to when your child was young – they were eagerly taught their full name, address and telephone number in case of emergency. However, as they get older, parents frequently stop encouraging them to have the type of information that will help them survive in today’s world. But, we all know tweens do have a way of getting themselves into jams, which could be due to their new found freedoms, their jumbled emotions or their belief that they always know what is right. Parents need to work with them so they know how to help themselves when they do get into predicaments.

The teaching goes beyond the basics of knowing their name and address. If your tween were involved in an accident, would they know what to do? Can they provide simple first aid if someone is injured or does he know what to do if an accident happens? Could he give detailed directions to the police, ambulance driver or communication dispatcher?

If your tween comes home alone and the phone rings, does he know how to answer the phone so the other person doesn’t know he is alone? Or what if a water pipe bursts…does he know where the water shut-off is? What if the lights go out….does he know where the flashlights are?

Also, tweens should be challenged to know where to look for information. They should know how to use the yellow pages and the resources at the local library (including the card catalog), as well as how to find zip codes. There are hundreds of other odd pieces of information that tweens should know, including the fact that even numbered houses are on one side of the street while odd numbered houses are on the other.