Tag: kids’
Parents: The Kindle Kids edition is 45% off on Amazon
Get this refurbished MacBook Air at almost 80% and help kids in need
Doctors Are Pioneering a Better Way to Perform Autopsies on Kids
David and Victoria Beckham enjoy family night out with kids as they visit steakhouse in Miami
THE Beckhams had a slice of family fun at a star-studded opening night of a steakhouse.
David and Victoria looked a cut above with kids Romeo, 19, Cruz, 17, and Harper, 11, at Gekko restaurant in Miami.
David and Victoria Beckham were snapped at the opening of swanky Gekko restaurant in Miami[/caption]
The couple were there with kids Romeo, Cruz and Harper[/caption]
But eldest son Brooklyn, 23, and wife Nicola Peltz gave the reunion a miss — attending a Hollywood party instead.
Last week, it was revealed David and Victoria Beckham have cashed in more than £11million in a year – DOUBLING their profits.
Annual accounts prove “Brand Beckham” is still a soaring success – 23 years since they married.
To celebrate their hard work paying off, the couple took out £15m and paid £2.5m in tax.
MORE ON THE BECKHAMS
It’s believed the Beckhams are thought to be worth around £339m altogether.
Their global brand empire has gone from strength to strength as the power couple continue to forge ahead with their joint business interests.
Brand Beckham Holdings showed on Companies House this week that the pair made a massive £11.6m in the 12 months to the end of December 2020 – compared to £4.5m in 2019.
A report said that much of the cash was brought in from David’s lucrative tie-ins with big-name firms and his MLS football team Inter Miami CF.
Most read in The Sun
The ex-Manchester United midfielder is believed to pay himself £35,000 a day and still ranks among the top Premier League earners.
Accountants revealed: “The principal activity of the company is that of a holding company.
“During the year the principal activities were as follows: 1: management and licensing of the David Beckham business brand. 2: investment in the Victoria Beckham global fashion and beauty brand. 3: ownership, participation in the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF.
Read More on The Sun
“During 2020 relationships with existing brand partners were strengthened and new deals signed to a portfolio which now includes F45 Electronic Arts, Adidas,Tudor and Diageo’s Haig Club.
“Alongside this brand partnership activity, David Beckham continues to build and support the MLS football league team Inter Miami CF.”
Victoria and David with Isabela Grutman, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas[/caption]
David pictured with David Grutman, Lil Wayne and Mack Maine[/caption]
I was terrified when I fell pregnant at 46, I never thought I’d have kids – I was so scared I got an early C-section
A SUPRISE pregnancy at any age can be scary and disrupt your life plan, whether you’re 16 or 46.
Here two women share their stories of how their lives were changed forever by a pregnancy that happened when they least expected it.
‘I was terrified to be pregnant for the first time aged 46’
Victoria Cunningham, 47, a yoga teacher and Pilates instructor, lives in Glasgow with her fiancé Stuart Chalmers, 44, a packaging designer, and their 11-month-old son Alisdair.
“Seeing the two crossed lines appear in that small plastic window, my whole body started to shake.
Could my dream of becoming a mother finally be coming true – at the age of 46?
When I met my ex-husband Mark* in 2002, aged 27, and married him two years later, becoming a mum was the last thing on my mind.
I enjoyed my work teaching yoga and Pilates, and I loved the freedom I had to travel and see friends.
READ MORE ON PREGNANCY
I felt like there just wasn’t space in my life for children.
That certainly wasn’t an issue for Mark, who didn’t want us to have kids either.
Then, in my 30s, my biological clock kicked in. But Mark’s views hadn’t shifted, and it drove a wedge between us.
He was angry that I’d changed my mind, while I blamed him for the fact that my fertile years were ticking away.
Most read in Fabulous
It was the major reason our marriage ended in 2017, after 13 years.
Single at 42, I was heartbroken that my dream of motherhood was over.
Mark and I hadn’t always used contraception, but I’d never had even a pregnancy scare. So I was sure that I was infertile.
But I hadn’t given up on love. Internet dating was rocky until, in August 2019 and, aged 44, I saw Stuart on Bumble.
He was 41, creative, funny, good-looking and, unlike most of the men online, seemed normal!
We shared a love of India and, after two weeks of messaging, he invited me over for chai tea.
We instantly clicked and things moved quickly. Within a month I told him I loved him, and he said it back two months later.
I moved into his place in February 2020, just before the pandemic began.
Even with all the fear and worry of Covid, we were so happy together.
As for children, Stuart would have loved to be a dad. But he hadn’t met the right person and I was clearly past childbearing age.
We knew that our future would be wonderful, but wouldn’t include kids, so after a few months of living together we stopped using contraception.
Then, at the end of January 2021, I realised that my period was late.
At first, I was sure that it was the peri-menopause, but when it still hadn’t started by early February, a tiny voice inside asked: ‘Could I be pregnant?’
Certain that it was a waste of time, I waited until Stuart was out at work and bought a test.
When the blue cross appeared almost instantly, it was like the world stopped.
I immediately messaged Stuart, who was shocked but delighted.
But after dreaming about having a child for so long, I found pregnancy terrifying.
I was told mine was a ‘geriatric pregnancy’, which meant there were increased risks for me and the baby.
Plus, Covid restrictions meant appointments were on my own and there were no antenatal classes.
By 37 weeks my anxiety was so bad that doctors agreed to an early caesarean.
When Alisdair roared into the world, weighing 6lb 2oz, it was love at first sight. Stuart was equally thrilled to finally become a dad.
Alisdair is my legacy. Being his mum has changed my life forever – and filled the hole in my heart.”
‘I found out I was having a baby two months into my A levels’
Vee Roberts, 43, is a brand and marketing consultant from Surrey.
“Sitting in the clinic waiting room, I was sure it was all a big mistake; that the nurse would tell me that my period would come; that there was no way I was 16 and pregnant.
When I was growing up, my mum Pauline, now 64, and dad Vince, 65, were strict.
I wasn’t allowed to go to sleepovers or attend prom. Mum had dreams for me to focus on school and have a fulfilling career.
I loved studying and was good at it. In 1990, aged 11, I moved to a private secondary school on a partial scholarship.
I was the first in my family to go to a private school and everyone was proud.
When I met my first boyfriend Jermaine* at a record shop in 1993, at 14, I fell hard.
He was the same age, respectful, smart and my family liked him. We believed we’d be together forever.
We started having sex after my 16th birthday and I went on the Pill.
I think Mum knew we were sleeping together, but we never spoke about it.
In September 1995, I started studying for my A levels at a new school and was hoping for a career in law.
But the following month, I realised my period was late.
Jermaine didn’t panic – neither of us really believed that I was pregnant, but I took a test to make sure.
When I saw the two blue lines appear, I was so shocked, I didn’t cry.
My future, which had seemed so certain, was suddenly up in the air.
How was I going to tell Mum? I called my granny Eulalee, 85, who was my cheerleader.
I could tell her anything and she wouldn’t judge. I blurted it out and she was amazing, telling me to come right over.
After we hugged, she told me that we’d make the best of it, that the family would support me. That gave me the strength to call Mum.
I was so nervous as the silence on the line stretched out, before she said that she was going to be a grandmother and that we’d speak when I got home.
Later, I could see her disappointment, but knew she’d help. The relief was immense.
Once I told Dad, who was also shocked but supportive, I felt more positive.
At first, I was able to continue my A levels.
But in mid-November I developed anaemia and had terrible sickness. Exhausted, I knew I had to leave school.
The rest of my pregnancy was hard. I watched friends studying and partying as my bump grew bigger.
By July 1996, I was two weeks overdue and just wanted my baby to be born.
After 11 agonising hours, my daughter Roshan was finally placed in my arms, and I felt a massive wave of love.
But the following months weren’t easy. I was a child with my own child, a mother living with my own mum.
Jermaine was a great dad and lived with his family nearby.
We were on and off for a long time, but we didn’t stay together, although he’s stayed in our lives and we are good friends.
I loved Roshan unconditionally, but I had dreams.
When she was three months old, I started A level sociology and AS level English at college in the evenings.
As well as studying, I worked for BT, fitting shifts in where I could.
In 2000, I began a degree in branding marketing communications and was so proud to graduate in 2003 when Roshan was seven.
Juggling it all was a struggle, but our mother/daughter relationship has been rock solid.
Roshan is now 26 and has grown into an amazing woman.
When I started my marketing business Insight2Marketing in 2013, she was my biggest supporter.
Read More on The Sun
Four years later, I saw her graduate from Bournemouth University with a first-class degree.
That surprise baby has become my best friend and one of my proudest achievements.”
*Names have been changed Photography: Getty Images
Swim hero Adam Peaty blasts Tory cuts as he demands ‘end betrayal of our kids’
Best parental control software to set device limits without confiscating your kid’s phone
Screen time is arguably one of the hottest parenting topics of the past 20 years. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic that closed schools and caused kids to be home at all times forced the topic into the spotlight even further. Youngsters spent more time online than ever before, due in part to the switch to virtual school and their parents’ need to get work done while WFH.
It’s natural for parents to freak out every time a new study about children and devices comes out, but here’s our advice: Don’t. The evidence between screen time and cognitive or behavior development isn’t super strong. Plus, parents cannot blame themselves for handing a kid a tablet when it’s time for a Zoom meeting, dinner prep, or a nap, especially when it’s high-quality content like an educational show or interactive learning game.
That said, it would be naive to assume that kids are always soaking in high-quality content when they’re on the internet. Though modern kids are scarily adept with technology and social media (TikTok is basically run by teenagers), it doesn’t mean that parameters for web use aren’t necessary. Keeping kids safe by monitoring their online activity (and setting reasonable limits) is just another task modern parents have to juggle.
Minecraft may be distracting them from their school work, or maybe you’d just feel more comfortable about this increase in screen time if you knew that your child wasn’t landing on any inappropriate sites or scrolling through Instagram at 3 a.m. Maybe you want them to engage more in family time together, sans screens. Whatever your reason, parental control software offers a solution to managing your child’s screen time.
How does parental control software work?
The short answer is that parental control software lets you monitor your child’s device — phone, tablet, or computer — remotely. The corresponding apps let parents monitor internet searches and browsing history, block inappropriate apps (or block distracting apps during homework hours), or limit screen time altogether. It’s a less invasive and more respectful method than physically going through their phone or computer — and when kids know that their activity is being watched or managed, cyber safety habits might stick better. While much parental control software requires a monthly or annual fee, there is some free parental control software available.
Is geofencing worthwhile?
Parental control software can also help keep tabs on your kid when they’re not at home. Though most have GPS and some sort of basic “Where’s my child?” function, only a select few software options offer geofencing, which is a big help for parents juggling the schedules of multiple children. This location-based service lets you set up virtual boundaries around where a child should or shouldn’t be, as well as a specific time that the child should (or shouldn’t) be there. Let’s say that your child goes straight from school to a sports practice three times a week. The geofencing feature will monitor their phone’s location and will alert you if your child doesn’t show up to the scheduled area on time. Teenagers may even enjoy the functionality of geofencing as it means not being bombarded with “Where are you?” texts.
Geofencing can also be used to monitor web time when your child is in a designated location. For instance, many parents like to disable games or social media apps during school.
What is the best parental control software?
Every parental control software (even free parental control apps) can put limits on screen time, show browsing history, and block sites. Got it. But some features might apply more to your family’s needs than others.
Households with a lot of devices in the mix will need to look at device limits. Some software allows unlimited accounts while others work like cell phone plans: More devices, more money. If you have three or four kids who all have a phone and a laptop, the unlimited route will be the best value. Families that share a device will need to ensure that their software doesn’t have a “one account per device” rule, which pretty much locks parents into dealing with kid settings (or vice versa, but that kind of defeats the purpose of the software in the first place).
Some software gives kids more autonomy than others. If you’re worried about smothering them, consider an option that provides warnings about screen time instead of immediately locking the device, or an option that lets them request extra time or access to a site that they feel is wrongfully blocked. Things may go smoother when older kids feel like they can have a say in the limits being set.
What should I consider before choosing parental control software?
There are a few different things to keep in mind when searching for the best parental control software for your family’s needs. First, consider the age of your child(ren). Younger kiddos will need more stringent parent control features than tweens and teens. You may also want to block out more devices for the younger set than you would for older kids.
As mentioned above, you’ll also want to do the math as to how many devices should be included in any parental control subscription. If you have too few devices included then you may not be fully keeping tabs on all of the screens your kiddo may have access to. Too many devices on your subscription and you may be paying for more coverage and control than you need.
You’ll also want to consider whether or not you need any parental controls to work at home or while they’re out and about. If your kids can get around any limits you set by simply leaving home, then the software isn’t ideal. However, if you have older kids and don’t worry about what they access while at school (maybe their phone doesn’t have data?) then you might not need features that work outside your family’s WiFi network.
Finally, consider using any built-in parental control options your device might already have. For example, use the passcode or password feature on cell phones, tablets, and laptops, to ensure little ones aren’t logging on without your knowledge. There are also several free browser plugins that will block specific websites with inappropriate content. On iOS devices, you can set screen time limits, block certain apps and websites, or restrict new downloads or things with an explicit content rating altogether. Your modem or router may also offer the ability for you to access parental controls that set limits on when specific devices can access WiFi.
With the above information in mind, here are our top choices for the best parental control apps and software for 2022: