Posts tagged ‘mothers’
OtoZen App Review: The Ultimate Driver Safety Companion
Image by Lopolo on Shutterstock
When it comes to driving, it’s always best to be careful and drive defensively. I want my friends and family to feel safe when I’m behind the wheel, and I want them to stay safe when they’re driving, too.
But how can I be sure that my loved ones are driving safely? Especially with teens, as they are more sensitive about sharing their activities and whereabouts with parents.
One of the most effective ways to ensure your loved ones are safe on the road is to use a driver safety app. These apps can help you maintain situational awareness and control at all times. This is why my family and I use one.
After trying a few others, OtoZen is my app of choice because of how easy it is to coordinate with multiple drivers on one platform. It helps me and my family stay safe on the road with its warning systems, real-time GPS, and Live Location features.
Why Is OtoZen the App of Choice for Driver Safety?
OtoZen has several features that encourage and help drivers stay safe on the roads. It offers everything from speeding and car use alerts to driving and family safety features that can help new and teenage drivers in your family.
1. Speeding Alerts
OtoZen monitors the vehicle’s speed, alerting drivers when they exceed the speed limit in a particular area. This can help new and experienced drivers know the limit for each road, avoid costly speeding tickets, and stay aware of how fast they are driving.
2. Live Location Sharing
This feature allows drivers to share their location with family and friends. OtoZen also gives drivers the option to send their expected time of arrival (ETA), so their family and friends will know when to expect them. This can also ease parents’ minds, knowing when their teens arrive at their destination.
Live Location sharing lets users control who can see their movements on the road, providing privacy, safety, and security through one app.
3. Safe Driving Score
One of the best ways to become a better driver is through feedback. OtoZen provides Drive Scores for each trip that identify unsafe driving behavior like speeding and phone usage.
Monitoring phone usage brings attention to distracted driving, helping drivers stay focused and avoid distractions while operating a vehicle. The Drive Scores are an excellent way to improve driving habits and observe safe driving guidelines while traveling. This feature can also help teens build accountability.
4. Helps Your Family Members Pass Driving Tests
OtoZen is an excellent tool that can prepare teens for their driving tests. The app can log and share driving records with driving instructors at the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Driver training schools can also use OtoZen to assess their students’ performance. They can quickly review which areas need improvement through the automatically generated driving log.
5. Accident Detection and Roadside Assistance
The app detects accidents and sends a 911 dispatch automatically. Whether minor or severe, OtoZen has 24/7 support services from certified dispatchers who notify emergency responders immediately in the event of a crash.
The dispatchers use the app’s Live Location feature to inform authorities of the vehicle’s exact location so they can send the nearest responders to the area.
6. Hands-free Driver Safety
The app lets drivers receive and send messages through their vehicle’s speakers, minimizing distractions. The hands-free feature also sends audio reminders for nearby errands and appointments and automatically notifies friends and family of trip progress and arrival times.
Is the App Worth It?
OtoZen can fulfill many needs and concerns regarding driver safety.
Stay Connected
If you have a teen learning to drive or simply want to stay connected with friends and family, OtoZen is a great choice. You can monitor loved ones’ locations and know when they need your help. While your teen is old enough to do many things, that does not take away from ensuring their safety.
Improve Driving
Student drivers can use the Driver Scores feature to see how well they are doing. You can work with your teens and help them improve their skills, especially with an automatically generated report they can show to driving schools and the DMV.
Save Lives
The accident and roadside assistance features can save lives. Anyone is susceptible to accidents, especially teens who are learning to drive. You can quickly gain peace of mind with this app, as it automatically notifies you and emergency responders when an accident occurs and provides an exact location.
Helpful Modes
It also uses different modes to observe a driver’s movements: driver and viewer.
Viewer mode allows you to observe the vehicle’s movements, including the ETA, stops, and Driver Scores. Plus, you can view other vehicles that have shared their location with you and see their movement on the app under Live Location.
In Driver mode, you can enable Live Location, input the location of your home, and set up hands-free notifications and reminders when you are on the road. You can also set up speeding alerts to get notified when you pass the speed limit, which is especially helpful when you are unfamiliar with a location’s speed limits.
OtoZen: Best for Families
Using an app like OtoZen can help parents like me track the movement of loved ones. It allows me to monitor their whereabouts without being too intrusive and controlling.
You can give your teens the freedom they want while teaching responsibility with an app that automatically informs you where they are and their current situation. Parents don’t have to needlessly worry when their teens aren’t home yet. OtoZen tells me where they are, provides their ETA, and even shows me their speed.
Make Driver Safety Part of Your Family With OtoZen
Driver safety is a lesson every family needs to learn. Downloading OtoZen as a driver safety and assistance app can go a long way in protecting your teens on the road.
If you want to monitor your teens and ensure they’re driving safely, OtoZen is an excellent choice.
Teaching Kids About Money
Guest article by Yulissa Asprilla, yasprilla@annuity.org
Teaching your kids about money is an important part of parenting. It is important to start early and give them a basic understanding of money and how it works. You can also help them to understand the importance of investing and the risks associated with it. Finally, you can help them to understand the importance of giving back to the community and how to make charitable donations, It can help them to become financially responsible adults.
Some parents may not feel confident enough in their own financial knowledge to be able to teach their kids about money. Others may think it is inappropriate to discuss money with young children, or mistakenly believe that children are too young to comprehend financial concepts. However, it is important to remember that teaching your children about money is essential to their development, and it is never too early to start.
When to start?
Depending on the age of your child, the conversation may vary. For younger children, you can start by introducing basic concepts such as the value of money, how to save, and how to make wise spending decisions. As your child gets older, you can introduce more complex topics such as budgeting, investing, and credit. It is important to have open and honest conversations with your child about money and to ensure that they understand the value of money and how to manage it responsibly.
How do I convince my kid that college is worth it?
When it comes to convincing your kid that college is worth it, it is important to emphasize the numerous benefits that come with a college education. Explain to your child that college provides them with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in their future career. Additionally, point out the potential for increased earning potential and job security that a college degree can provide. Finally, explain that college is a great way to make long-lasting connections and friendships that can last a lifetime.
Making a Budget
The first step is to help them create a budget that is realistic and achievable. This should include setting a goal for how much money they want to save each month and listing all of their monthly expenses. Once they have a budget in place, they should be encouraged to stick to it. This means avoiding impulse purchases and shopping around for the best deals. They should also be reminded to save any extra money they have left over at the end of the month. Finally, it is important to provide ongoing support and encouragement to help them stay on track. With these steps, they should be able to stick to their budget and reach their financial goals.
Lessons & Activities
We need to teach them that making mistakes in the comfort of their home, could greatly impact their future decisions by giving a sense of importance coming from the use of money. Researchers from the University of Minnesota suggest focusing “children’s education about money on the concepts of earning, spending, saving, borrowing, and sharing.” The University of Arizona doctoral student Ashley LeBaron said in her studies that “Practice Makes Perfect: Experimental learning as a Method of Financial Socialization.”
Software Applications for Teaching Kids About Money
Miata Edoga, president of the financial education company Abundance Bound, told Parentology, “We don’t want our kids to be afraid of spending, or be afraid of managing credit. We want them to feel confident in their ability to negotiate successful financial lives, to come at money from a place of power, rather than fear.”
The information age ushered in new media teaching platforms and introduced the world to the “digital native.” New educational apps for kids are launched regularly. These technological tools use interactivity and gamification to make financial concepts fun for children and teens, Additionally, by Educating kids about core personal finance topics, these apps simulate the digital-era experience of using credit and debit cards, mobile payment methods, and online banking.
Wish your family just said “Thank You Mom” once in a while? Attend my upcoming webinar where I talk about it.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
Tell Yourself You Are Enough
Telling yourself you are enough is a good start to something better.
What’s Your Story: Women’s History Month
While we celebrate March as a month for sharing women’s history, I think about my relationship with my mother, and all of the women who have passed through my life.
My love and respect for the women in my life was taught to me by my mother. I valued my relationship with her, even though we didn’t always agree.
As young girls, we are often led to believe that it’s mom’s way or the highway. I challenged that theory with my mom and I encourage other mothers and daughters to do the same, and allow each other the space to grow beyond their family, their culture and the world’s expectations of them. Let your daughter know that it’s okay to follow a path no one in your family dared to follow. 👣
I used to tell my daughter, she could be whomever she wanted and not to let anyone (including me) tell her she couldn’t do what she wanted with her life. That’s the legacy that I want for all girls.
Show the girls, teens and young women (that you interact with) how amazing they are now, and how far they can go with their lives. That’s what women’s history is all about.
Saying Yes when you really just need a break? Schedule a complimentary session with me to determine what tools can help make family living easier for you.
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C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
Want to Improve Your Relationship with Your Mother (Daughter)?
Ones of the ways to improve a relationship is to apologize and listen…
Continue Reading February 15, 2023 at 3:21 pm Leave a comment
Wishing You A Merry Christmas
Christmas is the time of celebration and merry making for everyone. This holiday is known for the melodious Christmas carols, rhythmical Christmas poems and intoxicating Christmas songs. An occasion of togetherness and merriment with your family is what Christmas is all about.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! Below is a poem I am sharing with you from theparentsday website.
C. Lynn
Home is With Parents
Home is where parents and memories live,
Full of the love only families can give,
It’s a place where you learn
and a place where you play,
It’s a cozy retreat on a cold winter’s day
It’s warm and familiar and yet always new,
A place where there’s always a welcome for you,
Home is where laughter and happiness grow,
A place you’ll remember wherever you go.
Merry Christmas to both of you
With love,
(insert your child’s name)
How Do You Teach Kindness to Your Kid?
What kindness do you see in the world today? It starts within families…
Continue Reading November 16, 2022 at 10:45 pm Leave a comment
Parenting Skills All Moms Need
How many times have you thought that your kids were the worst kids in the neighborhood, but you weren’t sure how to make them more well behaved? 🤔
Reading the news and watching people with their children, I wonder what kind of discussions take place at home. For example, you tell your child “Clean up your room”. You walk by his room an hour later, and not only is it not cleaned up, but he’s also playing a video game.
What do you do?
1. Yell at your child
2. Ignore them
3. Institute consequences
I love instituting consequences because it teaches your child life lessons. The life lesson is that people like dealing with well-mannered people. So, as adorable as your child is (to you), when they mis-behave no one likes them, including you. 🤷🏽♀️
Did you know, the older your child is, the harder it is to teach them manners and good behavior. They are difficult to deal with at school and in public. Then they become the teacher’s problem, or a statistic with law enforcement.
If you ask your child to do something and it’s not done – how do you hold them accountable?
If you don’t hold them accountable, what are the consequences to you and your child?
How do they learn the lesson that you’re trying to teach them?
If you are having a difficult time holding your child accountable, it might seem easier to expect your child’s teacher or another adult to take responsibility for parenting your child. It sends mixed messages to a child when someone else outside of you or your spouse becomes the responsible parent your child. Because that’s what happens when law-enforcement gets involved or the teacher has to discipline your child at school. Instead start when your child is very young, giving consequences that are appropriate for them at their age.
For example, before naptime, show your child how to pick up their toys and put them in the toy box. They cannot take a nap until the toys are in the toybox. My mom used to do that with us. What’s crazy is that I hated taking naps, 😴 so I can’t believe that I was duped into cleaning up my room before I laid down to take a nap that I didn’t want.
But it worked!
If you start when they’re 2-3 years old, by the time they are 5, 6, or 7, they are pretty well mannered.
The other thing about discipline and consistency is that it doesn’t work (as well) if you are not giving your child your attention on a regular basis. If the only time you interact with your child is to discipline, yell or scream at them, then you have lost their attention (and respect) when you want them to be well mannered and obedient.
Let me know how instituting consequences works for you and your child. If you need help, click on the link and let’s talk:
Want to learn more about how to get along with your family members?
Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and Sons.
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C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
One Size Does Not Fit Everyone
Thank you for reading and sharing my blogs. As a mom who has raised 4 children, and has taught teens and young adults, I know how important it is to live in a stable, loving home. I believe in healthy family relationships, and doing all I can to support moms, dads, to raise the next generation. I am here to support you through my books, blogs, workshops and coaching programs.
Being a mom requires you to be on call 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Moms soothe sick kids, scared kids, broken hearts, and those who struggle with insecurities. They also take care of their brothers, sisters, parents and friends. Remind yourself that you are doing an AWESOME job! Take time to do something relaxing or fun for you!
Moms, help me help you guide the next generation. Completing this survey helps me design coaching programs and workshops that make you feel better mentally and physically. A one size program does not fit every mom!
Check out my survey and thanks for completing it. You will find the link below the graphic. Share it on your social media page and tag me @msparentguru, to receive a complimentary gift.
Click here for survey link.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
Understanding and Addressing the Symptoms of Parenting Fatigue
The article is for parents of special needs children who wish to assess their level of fatigue and create a self-care “treatment plan” (though this should definitely not replace a doctor’s treatment plan!).
Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens 
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