When we talk about raising healthy kids, we often focus on Mom as the primary caregiver. Let’s not forget about the equally important role that Dad plays in shaping a child’s life.  In fact, according to the National Fatherhood Initiative, father love is also a better predictor than mother love for certain outcomes including absence of delinquency and conduct problems, absence of substance abuse, overall mental health, and well-being.

Over the years, Informed Families has worked with some terrific dads like Alvah Chapman and Frank Borman, and some who have served as father figures to many including Don Shula and Butch Davis. We salute you all!

 

Informed Families’ 35^th Annual Dinner at Joe’s took place this year on the planned date and time of May 18^th at 7 p.m. Due to COVID-19 the world was different.  Joe’s Stone Crab, and all restaurants in Miami, was closed, but our outstanding network of friends proceeded to meet and greet on Zoom!

What fun! Forty-nine people logged in to see each other and say hi.  The evening was dedicated to Coach Don Shula, who with his wife Dorothy, chaired the first Annual Dinner at Joe’s. The first committee was a Who’s Who in Miami: Betty and Alvah Chapman, Susan and Frank Borman, Dale Webb, Peter Bermont, Mary Eaton, JoAnn Bass and the Sawitz Family. This network of friends and families made Informed Families the success it is today.

Congratulations to the FIVE WINNERS of the Informed Families Virtual Scavenger Hunt focused on the dangers of underage and binge drinking. They will each receive a $25 Amazon gift card for answering all of the game questions correctly. All winners were randomly selected.

1. Noelle Taylor – Collier County

2. Arbens Darius – Hillsborough County

3. Gio Vanegas – Miami-Dade County

4. Lelani Delgado – Orange County

5. Heather Newby – Seminole County

Informed Families would also like to congratulate Janine Mojica from Lake Nona High School in Orange County on winning a $50 Amazon gift card for having the most student participation in the Virtual Scavenger Hunt.

Thank you to everyone who joined in the game. We hope it was informative and fun. Stay tuned for future contests and games!

The correct answer to each question was posted on the Informed Families website at 9 PM the day after the question was sent out. Here are all the questions and answers in case you missed any or weren't able to join in the fun. 

 

With marijuana being legalized in more and more states, many teens now believe it's safe for them to use. But evidence shows it's not. Make sure you and your kids can separate fact from fiction when it comes to marijuana.

MYTH: It’s safer than alcohol

FACT: Alcohol and marijuana are both associated with serious problems, especially if used by teens and young adults under age 21 – when the brain and body are still rapidly developing.  

MYTH: It’s okay to drive while high

FACT: After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often found in the blood of driver’s involved in crashes.

 

Some well-intentioned parents may think that allowing their teens and their teens’ friends to drink at home under adult supervision will keep their kids safe, and lead to healthier attitudes about drinking. The truth is that underage drinking can lead to serious negative consequences for both parents and teens:

1. Supplying alcohol to underage youth actually increases (rather than decreases) the risk for continued drinking in their teenage years, and can lead to problem drinking later in life.
   
   
2. Research shows that teens who perceive their parents to be more permissive about alcohol use are MORE likely to abuse alcohol and to use other drugs.
   
   
3. A majority of states have civil and or criminal penalties for adults who serve alcohol to minor at home. Under “social host laws”, party hosts are held responsible for car accidents and other disasters resulting from alcohol use at their home.

With parents working remotely, kids learning virtually and extracurricular activities outside the home postponed, Family Day is every day during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most families have not had this much time together uninterrupted in some time. 

Some families are using this time to reconnect. We love to see the cool things you have been doing - picnics in the backyard, themed dinners, bake-a-thons, game night, movie night and more. Use the #FLFamilyDays hashtag in your social media posts so we can continue to promote strengthening family relationships.

So many amazing teachers serve as Informed Families Ambassadors. They work hard to deliver our fun and effective universal prevention campaigns, which help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free. We thank you for what you do as a professional and the service you provide.

We know you have never experienced anything like what we are currently experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many teachers, transitioning from the classroom to online teaching has not been easy.

It’s National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week, a week focused on connecting teens with science-based facts about drugs and alcohol.

Here are some more fun ways your family can participate in National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week:

• Play Kahoot! E-cigs, Vapes and Mods: What Do You Know About Vaping?
• Take the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge Quiz 
• Play the Jeopardy-style interactive game: Drug Facts Challenge
• Print a "Not everyone's doing it" placard or pledge card and tweet, snap or post a photo on social media! Make sure to include #NDAFW in your posts.
• Join a Twitter Trivia Challenge hosted by NIDA and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) on Friday, April 3, at 3 p.m. EDT.  Follow the hashtag #NDAFW and answer multiple-choice questions about drugs and alcohol.
  

Is there a link between vaping and coronavirus? While experts say it’s impossible to say for sure, according the National Institute of Drug Abuse the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those who vape or smoke tobacco or marijuana because it attacks the lungs.

Informed Families is partnering with the Lung Love Foundation to help educate parents and teens about the dangers of vaping. Lung Love Foundation founder, Chance Ammirata, was only 18 years old when he almost lost his life to Juuling.  After his near death experience he took to social media to spread awareness of the dangers of vaping. Watch this CBS news clip to learn more about Chance’s story.

According to the 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey:

• Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug by adolescents.
• One in four 12th graders say they vaped nicotine in the past month, along with 1 in 5 10th graders, and nearly 1 in 10 eighth graders.
• Many teens say they vape for the flavor, to experiment, for social reasons, or to feel good.
• From 2018-2019, the number of 12th graders saying they vape because they are "hooked" more than doubled to 8.1%, up from 3.6%.

Parents and educators can join others across the country to help students make informed decisions by sharing fact-based information about drugs and alcohol.