Catalyst

Informed Families Catalyst

Family-Friendly Summer Activities

Posted by Informed Families on June 12, 2020 at 9:00 AM

Orginally published in Miami Kids magazine. 

Summer is finally here! We are all ready for a much needed break from homeschooling, and looking forward to some fun. However a less structured day, and minimal supervision can spell trouble for some kids and teens.

“It’s hard to keep tabs on your kids in the summer. Having family rules are essential all year, but perhaps even more so during the summer. They help keep kids, especially teens, out of trouble and give parents a little bit of peace of mind that their kids know guidelines exist and hopefully will be followed,” said Peggy Sapp, Informed Families President and CEO.

Establishing family rules are important. What are your rules? If you want to learn how to set and establish rules, contact Mery Dominguez at mdominguez@informedfamilies.org or 305-856-4886 about joining an Informed Families’ Parent Peer Group.

Spending time together as a family is great too. If you are looking for some ideas, don’t worry we have got you covered. Check out the list of activities of family-friendly summer activities below.

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Topics: tips, parent involvement, positive parenting, communication, family bonding, children, Informed Families, family rules, drug prevention, summer, healthy kids

Family Survival Guide - How To Make Chores Less Of A Chore

Posted by Sergio Perez on March 18, 2020 at 1:52 PM

The recent developments around COVID-19/Coronavirus have upended daily life for many of us. School districts around the nation have closed schools, forcing kids to stay home. As a parent, you want to provide a sense of structure to your kids' day, while also maintaining your own sanity. In these uncertain times of social isolation, it is more important than ever to keep a clear head and work together with your family to help you make the best of the situation. 

Did you know that kids who do chores around the house are actually happier than kids who don't, according to the latest research

Do you want your kids to help out more around the house but find it painfully difficult to motivate them? Do you frequently find yourself wiping your brow, sighing and saying, "I'll just do it." Does it seem like getting your children to do chores is a bigger chore in itself?

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Topics: parenting, family rules

President's Message - August 2019

Posted by Peggy B. Sapp, President & CEO on August 1, 2019 at 8:30 AM

Back to School Transitions Can Lead to Problems   

Hi friend,

Summer vacation is coming to an end, and your children will be returning to school soon. Some are preparing to transition into middle or high school; while others are heading off to college.  These transitions will introduce new environments, new friends and new found freedoms. Research shows that dealing with transitions is often a time when kids get into trouble. If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to have another talk with your kids about your family rules and boundaries regarding underage drinking and substance abuse

You want to encourage your children’s growing independence, but set appropriate limits. Set clear rules, and then enforce the rules you set. Make sure your children understand what the consequences will be for breaking rules.  But equally important, don’t forget to acknowledge the moments when your kids choose healthy behaviors over underage drinking or experimenting with drugs.

According to a recent report, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) Drug-Free Communities (DFC) programs continue to yield consistently reduced youth substances use rates. There has been a decline in prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use among youth. So we know prevention programs and initiatives, like the ones Informed Families offer, work.  We all must continue to play a role in creating communities that care about helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

Peggy

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Topics: President's Message, college students, prevention, underage drinking, family rules, teens, peer pressure, drug use, parents, alcohol use, back to school

It's Summer! How Family Rules Keep Kids Out of Trouble

Posted by Informed Families on May 24, 2017 at 8:00 AM

Summertime! And for Florida parents with teens, often, the livin’ is not easy….

According to SAMHSA, more teenagers start drinking and smoking cigarettes and marijuana in June and July than in any other months. Parents, who are challenged enough to keep tabs of where their kids are and what they are doing between September and May, find it especially difficult to do so in June, July and August.

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Topics: family rules

How to Enforce Family Rules

Posted by Informed Families on March 1, 2017 at 8:00 AM

Parents are the biggest influencers in their teenagers’ lives. With so many competing influences, parents might not believe that, and good luck getting teens to admit it—but it’s true nonetheless. For example, one survey discovered that kids whose parents told them that underage drinking was unacceptable were 80 percent less likely to drink. This powerful statistic underscores the importance of delivering straightforward messages about drugs and alcohol to your teens and setting—and enforcing—strong family rules.

Alas, those family rules can become a bone of contention with teens, who are at an age in which they are trying to carve their own independence. However, they can more easily make their own decisions, and work toward their independence, if they know and understand their parents’ rules and expectations. Here are some tips for enforcing family rules that, ultimately, will help protect your teen:

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Topics: parenting, family rules

5 Ways To Rule The Roost

Posted by Matt Sanders, Triple P Positive Parenting Program on May 19, 2015 at 2:37 PM

“Rules are made to be broken,” the old anti-establishment slogan says. Yet as adults, we know that the modern orderly world in which we live functions because the vast majority of us follow basic social rules and conventions. The freedom to question the appropriateness of such rules and to object to injustice is also fundamental to a democratic society.

It is not surprising then that many parents have mixed feelings about imposing rules. On the one hand they want their children to learn what is expected of them so they can get on with others. At the same time they do not want their children to be blindly obedient to adult authority.

For children to become socially responsible they must learn that reasonable rules and limits are there for their safety and well-being, not because it’s convenient for parents. Rules help children learn exactly what sorts of behaviors are considered appropriate by their parents and what is not acceptable. They also help children learn an understanding of how fair rules are developed.

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Topics: parenting, parent involvement, positive parenting, communication, rules, family rules

About Us

We teach people how to say no to drugs and how to make healthy choices. To reduce the demand for drugs, Informed Families has focused its efforts on educating and mobilizing the community, parents and young people in order to change attitudes. In this way we counteract the pressures in society that condone and promote drug and alcohol use and abuse. The organization educates thousands of families annually about how to stay drug and alcohol free through networking and a variety of programs and services .

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