Catalyst

Informed Families Catalyst

How a Positive Attitude Can Affect Your Child’s Future

Posted by Informed Families on April 23, 2023 at 10:55 PM

If you want your child to do well both in school and in their career, it turns out that helping them maintain a positive attitude may be the most effective technique you can use.

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Topics: parenting, parent involvement, positive parenting, teenagers, teens

Helping Children Develop Resilience

Posted by Informed Families on December 7, 2020 at 8:30 AM

Research has shown that resilience helps children better face disappointment, cope with loss, and adapt to change. Studies have shown that this life skill not only helps their childhood and teen years go more smoothly, but can serve them throughout their entire lives by providing better physical and mental health, making them more likely to graduate from college, and receiving better-paying jobs.

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Topics: tips, parent involvement, positive parenting

Family Day is Every Day this September

Posted by Informed Families on September 10, 2020 at 4:30 PM

National Family Day is on the Fourth Monday of September - that's September 28, 2020 this year. It’s a great opportunity for families to eat dinner together. Watch this 1 in video to learn more about why you should engage in regular family dinners.

Parents are often surprised to hear that something as simple as eating dinner together 4 times a week can reduce the likelihood that their kids will engage risky behavior. Parental engagement is the single most potent weapon in preventing substance use among youth. Check out our Family Days Activity Guide for ideas on how to turn dinner time into something everyone looks forward.

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Topics: Family Day, tips, parent involvement, positive parenting, communication, family bonding, children, Informed Families, drug prevention, Family Table Time

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

Let's Show Dads Some Love

Posted by Informed Families on June 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM

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!

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Topics: parent involvement, drug free, drug prevention, healthy kids, fathers

Starting a Parent Support Group in Your Area

Posted by Informed Families on November 23, 2016 at 7:01 AM

As much as teenagers might be loath to admit it, parents are the greatest influencers in their lives, especially when it comes to discouraging them from alcohol and drugs. One survey of 663 teens discovered that of the respondents whose parents felt underage drinking was unacceptable, only 8 percent of the kids were drinkers themselves. Contrast that with parents who thought underage drinking was OK—the number of teen drinkers in the survey jumped to 42 percent. This finding only goes to reinforce the power one parent can possess in influencing his or her children.

Now imagine it’s not just one parent but many parents working together in your community. That kind of united effort can make a real difference in helping keep teens safe. Parent support groups—or more specifically, parent peer groups—can effect positive change in your neighborhood and community. Here are some ideas for starting such a group in your area:

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Topics: parent involvement, parents

Youth Drug Abuse Facts You Should Know in 2015

Posted by Informed Families on July 7, 2015 at 12:28 AM

 
"Adolescence is a crucial period both of susceptibility to the rewards of drugs and of vulnerability to the long-term effects of drug exposure...Adolescents are prone to risky behaviors and impulsive actions that provide instant gratification instead of eventual rewards." - Dr. Nora Volkow
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Topics: addiction, drug trends, parent involvement, positive parenting, prescription drug abuse, synthetic drugs, flakka

How a Lemonade Stand Can Teach Your Children The Best Life Lessons

Posted by Informed Families on June 29, 2015 at 8:00 AM

BBQs, lemonade stands, pool days, and slip n’ slides…SUMMER IS HERE! But we all know along with all that fun comes lots of free time for your children. Help your children grow into responsible young adults (and make some money) this summer at a lemonade stand. Teach your children RESPONSIBILITY by having them run a lemonade stand...all while they're making money!

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Topics: parent involvement, discipline, decisions, family bonding, children

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

6 Ways To Raise A "Good Sport"

Posted by Matt Sanders, Triple P Positive Parenting Program on April 17, 2015 at 2:21 PM

News in the past of reported violent incidents at children’s sporting events must leave some parents wondering whether they want their children to be involved in sports at all.

The fact is, playing sports helps children gain regular exercise, make new friends and learn valuable social lessons about teamwork, responsibility and competition. But too much pressure by parents excessively keen on winning can create anxiety and other emotional problems.

Standing at the sidelines yelling about dropped catches, missed tackles, or the suspect familial origins of the referee or opposition players isn’t such a good role model for your children. And for some children the pressure to perform may bring tears and sore tummies on Saturday morning prior to a sporting event.

Of course it is perfectly normal to take pride in your child’s sporting activities and to enjoy watching them participate in sports. What is more important though then your child becoming good at sports is to see them become a ‘good sport.’

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Topics: parenting, parent involvement, positive parenting, communication, sports, sportsmanship, good sport, athletics

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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