November 2017 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Do you have mean girls or mean boys?

Posted on: 11/29/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Every school has them, every church wishes they didn’t… mean girls, mean boys, using mean words to make themselves feel better. Sadly, there are a handful of young people who become perfect targets for these words… and I want to hear from them! I want to hear the voice of the bullied.

Can you introduce me to them?

I’m writing a book to parents about bullying… and how to help your kids who are bullied, bullies and even bystanders. I want to hear from as many young people as possible on this issue, asking them questions like Continue reading “Do you have mean girls or mean boys?”

Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying | Tags: bullied, bullying, helping depressed kids, mean girls, mean words | Leave A Comment

10 Flight Tips If You Actually Want to Get There

Posted on: 11/20/17 4:35 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This year I flew over 100,000 miles, mostly domestic. That means a lot of security lines, boarding groups, layovers… and bad airport food. It also means learning a few tricks of the trade actually getting from A to B (while many others were stuck in A for days at a time).

I’ve been doing this for two decades now, and in those years I’ve learned a lot of travel lessons the hard way. I’ve also observed a lot of people missing flights and having their vacations completely ruined for one simple reason…

Ignorance.

That’s not an insult… I mean it in the true sense of the word. They just didn’t know better because no one had ever told them vital information… like if you are Continue reading “10 Flight Tips If You Actually Want to Get There”

Posted in Personal, Travel | Tags: airlines, flight delays, flight tips, Southwest Airlines, travel tips | Leave A Comment

Answering top questions from today’s parents PART III

Posted on: 11/16/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

In PART I and PART II of this series we already tackled some of the big questions today’s parents are asking…

How do I regulate screen time with a high functioning autistic kid?

When your kids push you away and go silent, how do you reconnect?

Is there a way to receive your kids’ texts directly on your device?

These are just a few of the countless questions I just received from parents… and for three days I’ve been answering them in this blog. Each day I’m narrowing it down to the top 10.

Here are the final 10 answers to the last 10 questions… Continue reading “Answering top questions from today’s parents PART III”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media | Tags: apps, mentors, parenting, parenting teens, single mom, smartphones, social media, teens | Leave A Comment

Answering top questions from today’s parents PART II

Posted on: 11/15/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday we already tackled some of the big ones…

What age do you recommend allowing children on social media?

Is there a way to filter the stories on SnapChat?

How do you prevent sexting?

These are just a few of the countless questions I just received from parents… and for three days I’m going to answer all of them in this blog. Each day I’m going to narrow it down to the top 10. (See yesterday’s 10 answers HERE.)

Here are today’s 10 answers to 10 questions… Continue reading “Answering top questions from today’s parents PART II”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture | Tags: parenting, raising autistic kids, raising teenagers, smartphones, social media, youth culture | Leave A Comment

Answering top questions from today’s parents PART I

Posted on: 11/14/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

The questions began rolling in…

What age do you recommend giving our kids phones?

What is the easiest way to monitor a child’s online safety?

What are the dangers of the app Musical.ly?

These are just a few of the countless questions I just received from parents… and in the next three days I’m going to answer all of them in this blog. Each day I’m going to narrow it down to the top 10 Continue reading “Answering top questions from today’s parents PART I”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Music, Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media | Tags: COPPA, Jonathan McKee, media discernment, parenting, parenting questions, raising teenagers, smartphone contract, Snapchat, social media, teens and smartphones, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices | Leave A Comment

Guns, Drama, and Poor Conflict Resolution Skills

Posted on: 11/7/17 6:56 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s always interesting when people search for the “why” behind shootings and acts of violence (much like the why behind spikes in anxiety and depression). People are always looking for someone to blame.

It’s those violent video games.

It’s Quentin Tarantino movies!

It’s the second amendment.

If only it were that simple. I think most experts would agree it’s often an amalgamation of these elements. With shootings, the typical profile is a white male, 25 to 45, military background, tumultuous relationship with his mother… but not always Continue reading “Guns, Drama, and Poor Conflict Resolution Skills”

Posted in Entertainment Media, News, Youth Culture | Tags: anger, conflict resolution, gun control, parenting, school shootings | Leave A Comment

Mean girls, mean boys, mean words…

Posted on: 11/3/17 6:43 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I was in Canada recording an interview on Canadian TV show 100 Huntley Street dialoguing about how we can help teens learn to think before they post (to be aired early next year). As I was there, host Maggie John and I talked off camera about bullying… and that word can be a little misleading… I’m not talking about a kid punching another kid and stealing his lunch money. I’m talking about the much more common bullying that takes place… mean words.

Two months ago Maggie Skyped me in on their show for a discussion about “cyberbullying” and the mean words kids are using on their devices. These words are often posted everywhere, for everyone to see… and they have devastating effects Continue reading “Mean girls, mean boys, mean words…”

Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying, Internet, Social Media | Tags: bullying, cyberbullying, mean girls, mean words, social media | Leave A Comment