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Keeping our priority at the top of our minds
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Most of us parents will say without hesitation that their children are their top priority. But we live in a world with so many distractions and so many things competing for our attention that it is hard to practice what we preach. - photo by Linda and Richard Eyre
Most of us parents will say without hesitation that our children are our top priority. But we live in a world with so many distractions and so many things competing for our attention that it is hard to practice what we preach and to give our kids the time and the mental energy that our first priority deserves.

Parents have always been busy, but the current generation of parents is the first that has the huge added distraction of technology and social media thrown into the mix. We were reminded of this the other day as we observed a young mom with three little kids tugging at her and trying to get her attention as she thumbed things into her smartphone.

Sometimes the problem is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease in other words, Facebook friends, Instagram account, email, social commitments, church callings, shopping, entertainment, hobbies or jobs are so ever-present and so demanding and so hungry for all our attention that we dont have much attention left for the kids.

Children are demanding of course, and loud and needy, but they are still somewhat easier to ignore than the adult demands or the technology addictions that swirl around us. If we are not careful FOMO (fear of missing out) drives us to check our social media or our texts or our emails with more consistency than we check our childrens needs.

And sometimes our most deliberate, strategic thinking is devoted to our careers or our church or political interests, or even to our posting or texting, while we just react to our kids.

First priorities deserve our best mental energy. We need to analyze our childrens needs and have proactive goals and plans for what we want to give them, and this kind of thinking is getting harder and harder to do at the pace of our crazy, busy, distracted lives.

So the big question is this: How do we keep our minds and our attention a little more on our first priority?

Well, one way is to do what you are doing right now reading an article that focuses on family and parenting. And, of course, there are also good family-focused podcasts, YouTube videos and Facebook and Instagram pages that can help pull your focus back to family and to your kids and not sucking your attention in other directions.

In other words, by being more selective in what you look at on your screens, you can turn your worst distraction into your ally and your support mechanism in staying tuned in and conscious of your kids. Instead of letting your devices pull you away from your family, use technology to make you more aware and up to speed on parenting, marriage and family.

We challenge you to program more family-centric and parenting-focused stuff into your smartphone. Instead of thinking of technology as a competitor for your time and priorities, use the technology to remind you of your real priorities and to give you stimulating ideas and tips about how to do better at them. Instead of letting screen time suck you away from your kids, find and use the kind of websites and social media that make you more conscious of family and better equipped to do a good job in your home.

Here are some of our specific sites and social media accounts that you can follow to get started in that direction, and once you begin, you will find other family-focused apps, websites and pages to add to your favorites.

Podcast: Eyres on the Road (use any podcast app)

Website: Valuesparenting.com

YouTube: Eyres on the Road

Instagram: richardlindaeyre

Facebook: Linda Richard Eyre

Twitter: Richard and Linda Eyre

LinkedIn: Linda and Richard Eyre

Website for additional information on each social media topic: valuesparenting.com/wpt/

Our children deserve our attention and our priority. Good luck in making technology a tool that helps and not a distraction that hurts.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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