Two of the topics featured in this month’s Family Table Talk kit are decision-making and heroism. While they may seem unrelated, they are actually two sides of the same coin, and that is courage: the strength to choose the right decision and the determination to face your fears and move ahead regardless of those fears.

One positive outcome of the pandemic has been that families have been forced by circumstances to spend more time together. No more rushing out the door to play practice in one direction and violin lessons in the other. No more late nights at the office, grabbing a quick fast-food dinner on the way home.

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.

Healthy Families Can Cope With Uncertainty 

We are in the midst of raging waves delivering bad news and uncertainty.  Healthy Families know how to roll with raging waves and uncertainty.  Healthy Families know and accept they cannot change the rolling waves; they have been working together to build a set of beliefs, principals and skills that keep their boat from capsizing. Think of a sail boat - there are 8 pieces that make up the design.  What keeps the boat steady is what you don’t see. It is the size of the keel, which provides an underwater balancing force that keeps the boat from tipping over.

You can’t build a boat in a hurricane with winds and rough seas. You must build a boat when the weather is good in preparation for the storms and uncertainty that will surely come with life.  Informed Families’ mission is to help you build a healthy family structure. We provide lots of information and tools, but you have to access the information and start building your very own healthy family structure.  

Informed Families/Florida Family Partnership is teaming up with Family Table Time to help families bond, communicate better and deal with difficult scenarios.

Back to school time is a stressful time for many families. With schools reopening for the first time since March or continuing remote learning, many families are more anxious than usual. Family Table Time’s unique, dinner table conversation starter toolkit can help families better navigate this stressful time together. Conversation starters for the month of August include Back to School and Fears & Anxiety.

Americans continue to celebrate essential workers keeping the country going during the coronavirus pandemic. McDonald's provided essential workers with free 'Thank You Meals'. Starbucks offered all front-line responders a free tall brewed coffee.Give Essential, a new nonprofit that boxes up people's extra household items to donate to those on the front line, was recently profiled on ABC News (see the coverage here). We are continuing to demonstrate our capacity to come together and support others during these unprecedented times.

Informed Families, the National Family Partnership and Family Table Time are also saying thanks and giving it up for front-line workers. While families are away from the office and school, these heroes put their health on the line to keep us safe, happy and healthy.  When you buy a six-month subscription to Family Table Time, the family of an Essential Worker will receive a six-month subscription for free. You can designate the family to receive this gift or select an option to send  it to an essential worker who needs it.