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Informed Families Catalyst

Parenting Classes: How to Have the Hard Conversations

Posted by Informed Families on March 22, 2017 at 8:00 AM

The questions are tough to hear and challenging to answer:

  • “Mom, why is marijuana legal in some states and illegal in others?”
  • “Dad, what should I do if all my friends are drinking at a party and pressure me to have a beer?”
  • “My neck hurts. Can I take one of those Vicodins you were prescribed after your surgery last year?”
  • “Mom, Dad, did you drink when you were in high school?”

These are important questions your teens might be asking. And even if they aren’t asking, the topics are still important ones to discuss with your kids. Unfortunately, these hard conversations often scare parents, who worry they might not get their point across, will sound too frantic when their teens are asking about pot or won’t know what to say beyond “just say no.”

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Topics: parenting, tips for talking with your kids about drugs

Florida Middle Schools: Is It Too Soon to Talk About Drugs?

Posted by Informed Families on March 15, 2017 at 8:00 AM

Middle school is a wonderful, crazy and confusing time for kids. Their hormones begin to kick into high gear, they are becoming more self-aware and independent, and they begin to feel more like adults and less like children. Indeed, the “middle” in middle school is appropriate—these kids are not quite ready for high school, and in many ways, still behave like tweens.

This is exactly why middle school is not too soon to talk to your students about drugs; in fact, many prevention professionals would tell you to start talking much earlier. In an effort to act older, students may engage in riskier behavior, like trying drugs and alcohol, but as younger teens (as may also be true for older teens), they might not be equipped to understand the consequences of their choices. Florida middle schools cannot be shy or naively believe, “Oh, these kids are too young for this kind of talk.” The reality is, they aren’t too young—this is a perfect time to spread the message about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Here are some important points for educators to keep in mind as they do:

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Topics: tips for talking with your kids about drugs, drugs

Parents, Respect Your Children This Red Ribbon Week

Posted by Informed Families on October 8, 2015 at 1:54 PM

This year's Red Ribbon Week Theme is "Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free." The theme reminds us that when we respect ourselves, we make healthy choices that support our bodies and minds and enable us to reach our full potential.

To give you a little background, Red Ribbon Week is celebrated in over a hundred thousand schools nationwide, reaching an estimated 80 million individuals annually, bringing awareness and support for safe, healthy and drug free children in the United States and beyond. Between October 23rd and 31st each year, schools organize Red Ribbon Week activities and celebrations, from pep rallies and essay contests to decorating the school and hosting special assemblies with prevention professionals and local celebrities providing a drug-free message to children.

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Topics: parenting, red ribbon, tips for talking with your kids about drugs

8 Ways To Harness Parent Power

Posted by Informed Families on June 16, 2015 at 1:52 PM

Parents have a tremendous amount of power when it comes to raising safe, healthy and drug free children. By leading your children in the right direction, supporting their healthy development and knowing when to draw the line, parents can launch responsible, healthy, productive members of society. 

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Topics: parenting, tips for talking with your kids about drugs, prevention, underage drinking

Parents, Red Ribbon Week Is A Gift

Posted by Informed Families on October 7, 2014 at 12:13 PM

Over the past couple of years, we’ve heard something really surprising from parents. Some parents have told us that either:

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Topics: parenting, red ribbon, tips for talking with your kids about drugs

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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