New Live Show

Episode 845 - Year of the Dad. What's trending in 2012? Dads! Laurie Gelman, co-host of The Mom Show talks about the shifting roles of primary care givers from Mom to Dad. There's also the scarier trend of reality TV/YouTube/internet fame influencing parenting. Parents need to be more aware of what children are watching. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2.5 hours of "screen time" which includes ALL screens, not just TV. One way to battle technology and hours and hours of texting, bad youtube videos, and generally bad programming is family dinner. Unplug and spend genuine quality time with your family.

Daddy Clay points out the importance of setting up a secure wireless network. It's easy to with the software that comes with your router, and can be done via the "Network and Sharing Center" control panel on PCs, or the Airport Utility on Macs. Giving the access code out also can allow access to your personal files on devices on that network. Some routers like the Linksys e4200 offer Dual Zone, Guest Zone, or SSID features which allow you to set up access to the internet, but NOT your other devices on the network. Shutting down the network is a great way to limit family access and controlling time limits for your children, particularly during certain times like study time, family dinner, or even overnight.

Please visit www.facebook.com/ciscolinksys to enter the Geek Dad Cool Contest for your chance to win $10,000 worth of home networking and entertainment prizes from Linksys. Embrace Your Inner Geek! Contest ends February 17, 2012.

Episode 844 is brought to you by Linksys - everything you need for a wireless home.