If only our kids knew what we know as adults:

• You have to work hard to achieve your goals.
• You can’t let yourself be distracted.
• You can’t solve your problems by hiding them in drugs or alcohol.

Topics: parenting, teenagers, gaming, children, teens, social media

Ryan Last, 17, a straight-A student and Boy Scout in San Jose, California, killed himself last February because he was “absolutely terrified,” his mother, Pauline Stuart, told CNN. In his suicide note, he described how embarrassed he was for himself and his family.

Topics: gaming, social media, sextortion

When we think of summertime, we think of dads coaching ballgames, dads fishing with the kids, dads at the grill flipping burgers. This stereotype of the “typical” father is reinforced every Father’s Day.

Topics: parents, fathers, father

President's Message - June 2022

What if, tomorrow, some magical being came and took away your hope? Hope that things will get better, hope that you can accomplish your goals, hope that you can achieve the life you dreamed of?

Topics: President's Message, teenagers, teens, hope

In the olden days, perhaps in your grandparents’ time, family meals were a given. The kids may have had play practice or a sporting event, but in general, the entire family gathered for dinner six to seven nights a week.

Topics: social media, drug trend, emojis

Every generation develops its own slang, its own secret language, and shorthand ways of communicating that keep parents in the dark about what they’re up to. As a parent, it’s frustrating, but it’s also a perfectly normal part of growing up.

Topics: social media, drug trend, emojis

Our kids these days live their lives through social media, watching TV, and playing video games. Unfortunately, several new studies are finding that all this screen time is having a negative effect on their mental health.

Topics: overdose, parents, screentime

President's Message - May 2022

The work that Informed Families has been doing for 40 years is so important that it was officially recognized last night by the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, at our 37th Annual Dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant in Miami.

Topics: President's Message

We knew that the pandemic caused a serious mental health crisis among all ages, and that teens had an especially difficult time.

Topics: overdose, parents

It’s hard to walk the fine line between giving our kids too much freedom and not enough. This is why it’s important that we begin early to build trust with them.

Topics: parenting, teenagers, teens, parents