President's Message - August 2022
Over the years, it has been interesting to me that parents consistently think Informed Families is not talking to them but to some other family with problems. Denial is a trademark of addiction!
WE ARE TALKING TO YOU AND TO EVERYONE
All families have the potential for their children to experiment with alcohol and drugs. No one knows who will become an addict; no one sets out to become an addict…it is a slippery slope.
Kids start experimenting around age 12 and parents may not recognize it for about 2 years. Kids who start drinking before age 15 are 5 times more likely to become an alcoholic.
I hate scare tactics, but I don’t know how else to shake people out of DENIAL. If you wake up and see your family as a system of people who go in and out of good mental health all day long, then you as a parent can become a leader and build protective factors and reduce risk factors.
Family Day is September 26. Check out all of the great tools Informed Families offers you to communicate with your children.
Visit: https://www.informedfamilies.org/campaigns/family-day
Families eating together is a ritual that crosses all cultures. Families who eat with their children 4 times a week increase protective factors thus children have a 50% drop in destructive behaviors.
Children can help with the cooking and they are capable…give them some chores. They may whine and roll their eyes, but that is just a teenage reflection: You are the boss.
That’s right, you are the boss, not their friend until they are older. Parents are the ones who set and enforce the rules. Try it, your family life will become more enjoyable for all.
Who will socialize with our children if the parents abandon their role? That is a terrifying question. Please step up to the plate and be a PARENT. Informed Families offers Parent Peer Groups as support and help. I hope you will join us for Family Day and other fun activities throughout the year. Take pictures and send them to us to enter our contest:
https://www.informedfamilies.org/family-day-photo-contest
-Peggy Sapp, President & CEO
