GET BLUE! Join i-WALK

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month!

Please GET BLUE and join in i-Walk to keep America’s children safe! Every April, the nation unites to raise awareness and educate the public about child abuse and violence against children.
To signify the importance of the month please celebrate your children on National Love Our Children Day on April 14th.
You can unite online by participating in the virtual i-Walk and gain the support of your friends, family and your community to help keep kids safe – and you don’t even have to leave your home!
Each year, over 3 million children in our country were reported abused or neglected and through public awareness, community education, and support programs, these astounding numbers will be reduced.

Love Our Children USA™ offers you an opportunity to join this national movement in your very own community. You can be the voices for children by participating in GET BLUE campaign and i-walking to remind everyone about the importance of America’s kids, and how we can share in preventing all violence and neglect against children.

Follow Love Our Children USA on Twitter.

Register yourself as a virtual walker today!!!  Get South Florida involved!

Operation Parent: Parents Helping Parents

The teenage years today can be extremely challenging!


Whether it is a sense of entitlement, peer pressure, society, or an attitude of defiance, it seems some teens today are literally holding their parents hostage in their own homes.

Operation Parent is an organization that has recognized many parents feel they are alone.  They have created support groups and have offered resources and information for communities to start their own groups.

Operation: PARENT is on a mission to educate, equip, encourage and engage parents of teens and pre-teens. Welcome to our website where you can purchase our Parent Handbook, register for one of our many parenting classes, delve into a tough issue related to parenting teens, or learn more about our exciting Coffee Series.

Bring part of a support group can help you and your family begin healing.  You are now part of our network of thousands of parents and their goal is to make sure no parent in any community ever feels alone while raising their teen or pre-teen. Together we can do this... together we can raise incredible teens!

For more information visit www.operationparent.org.

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Road to Recovery March 2012

You may know someone that needs the road to recovery, but unless they ask for directions it is likely they are not ready to get on the road.


Road to Recovery March 2012 is here!


We know that almost 1 in 10 Americans struggle with a substance abuse disorder and 1 in 5 Americans have a mental illness.  Treatment and recovery are a pathway forward.

The National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) campaign offers help and hope not only for individuals receiving recovery services and in recovery but also for families, loved ones, and friends. The benefits of treatment and recovery-oriented services and supports in behavioral health ripple out across entire communities throughout our Nation, proving there are effective treatments and that people do recover.

As the Road to Recovery series kicks off its 12th season, this episode will highlight the many accomplishments of the 2011 Recovery Month campaign and look forward to a successful September 2012 Recovery Month.

Visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov for more information.

Join me on Facebook  and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today's teenagers.

Tobacco Free Florida: Make 2012 Your Year to Get Healthy!

The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) fourth annual Tobacco Free Florida Week (March 26-April 1) will raise awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke (SHS). Themed “Fresh Air for All,” Tobacco Free Florida Week takes a close look at how SHS impacts everyone, especially the state’s most vulnerable. It is an opportunity to educate your audience about tobacco-related issues in your community and to encourage tobacco users to quit.

Did you know that 9 out of 10 smokers started in their teens?  Most of them believing they would never become addicted.

In Florida, Big Tobacco spends more than $700 million in marketing.  Why so much? They see it as an investment to help replace the people  that die from smoking… 1,200 people a day.

STUDENTS WORKING AGAINST TOBACCO (SWAT)

SWAT is Florida’s statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. They are a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future. There’s a group of people on one side selling a product (cigarettes, cigars, hookah, chewing tobacco and more) that some teens are using. Those products are highly addictive and many teens that begin using them are never able to quit. On the other side, groups like SWAT and Tobacco Free Florida, are working to make sure as many teens as possible never start using tobacco. Join the movement!

Learn more about Tobacco Free Florida Week 2012 coming soon. Visit http://www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/ and join them on Facebook.

Teens and eating disorders: National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDA)

February 26-March 3, 2012 is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. (NEDA)


The aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses - not choices - and it's important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.

Watch video.

Teens especially can become very self conscience of their body image and it is an issue parents need to recognize early.

What causes eating disorders in teenagers?


There is no one cause of an eating disorder. Experts link eating disorders to a combination of factors, such as family relationships, psychological problems, and genetics. The teen may have low self-esteem and be preoccupied with having a thin body.

Symptoms of eating disorders may include the following:

• A distorted body image
• Skipping most meals
• Unusual eating habits (such as eating thousands of calories at one meal or skipping meals)
• Frequent weighing
• Extreme weight change
• Insomnia
• Constipation
• Skin rash or dry skin
• Dental cavities
• Erosion of tooth enamel
• Loss of hair or nail quality
• Hyperactivity and high interest in exercise

Teens with eating disorders are often in denial that anything is wrong. They may be moody, anxious, depressed. They may withdraw from friends, and become overly sensitive to criticism. The problem arises when parents are not aware of these symptoms because the teen keeps them hidden -- just like the trauma, insecurities, depression, or low self-esteem that may help trigger the disorder.

Source: WebMD

NEDA has an excellent website full of educational information and resources.  Click here.

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Summer Camp: FREE Service to Help Parents find the Best Camp for their Child

Believe it or not, NOW is the time to start your summer camp search.

Especially if you are interested in teen travel camps, they can fill up very fast.

Not sure where to start, or what is available?  South Florida is home to Camp Finders!  Though they have assisted families thoughout the country, they are located here and know our community firsthand.

Since 1994, Camp Finders® has personally visited approximately 175 overnight camps and various teen programs. During this time period, Camp Finders™ has been placing children in sleep away camps and in the following teen programs: teen tours; wilderness camps & outdoor adventure; college enrichment; community service; sailing, SCUBA, & marine biology programs; foreign language programs and more.

Camp Finders encourages parents to think about the following questions when considering their child's summer experience:

*What type of community does the camp try to create? (this is an important question)
*What is the size of the camp?
*Is the camp more on the competitive or non-competitive bent?
*Is there a religious focus with the camp?
*How does the camp handle new campers, cliques and bullying?
*What is the communication policy for parents and their children?
*Connected with the communication policy, how do camps handle homesickness?
*What is the level of instruction in most of the activities (experienced staff/teachers)?

 Camp Finders® is a free service which matches children ages 6-17 with appropriate sleepaway camps and teen programs.Click here for your free information request.

Green Your School Challenge: DoSomething.org

Going green for your community and the future!


Take it to your school and you could earn grants, scholarships and other great prizes!


DoSomething.org is challenging all schools from February 1, 2012 - April 22, 2012 to participate in the Green Your School Challenge!

1. Register your school to take part in the challenge! Get your friends to sign up too.
2. Browse projects ideas for your school to tackle to increase recycling, save energy, promote green agriculture, and more!
3. Report back on your completed projects to be judged by our panel of celebrity and expert judges!
4. Bring the challenge home! You don’t have to just green your school, you can green your home too!

This is a great opportunity have your school participate and be part of a national campaign to make a positive difference in the environment.

Greening your school has never been easier. They will you helpful tips, resources, and guides, to make your environmental effort seem effortless. The team that makes the biggest impact on their school could win big. HINT: What's white and green and on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave?
Text GREEN to 38383 to learn more. Watch the video.

Children of Alcoholics Week 2012

February 12-18 is designated to honor children of alcoholics.


An estimated 25 percent of all children in the United States are affected by or exposed to a family alcohol problem. SAMHSA supports the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) during its Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week. COA Week celebrates the recovery of the many thousands of children (of all ages) who have received the help they needed to recover from the pain and losses suffered in their childhood, and it offers hope to those still suffering from the adverse impact of parental alcohol and drug addiction.

During COA Week, we acknowledge the millions of children affected by a parent’s substance use disorder and celebrate that there is hope and healing for these children now and throughout their lives. This week—and throughout the year—remember to ask, “What about the children?” when speaking about recovery from substance use disorders.

You can support Children of Alcoholics Week 2012 by visiting their site for more information.

About NAcoA (National Association for Children of Alcoholics):

The people hurt most by drugs and alcohol don’t even use them; they are the CHILDREN of alcoholics and other drug dependent parents.

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) believes that none of these vulnerable children should grow up in isolation and without support. NACoA is the national nonprofit 501 (c) 3 membership and affiliate organization working on behalf of children of alcohol and drug dependent parents.

Our mission is to eliminate the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families.

• We work to raise public awareness.
• We provide leadership in public policy at the national, state, and local levels.
• We advocate for appropriate, effective and accessible education and prevention services.
• We facilitate and advance professional knowledge and understanding.
To help in these efforts, we:
• have affiliate organizations throughout the country, and in Great Britain, Germany, and Canada
• publish periodic online and print newsletters
• create videos, booklets, posters and other educational materials to assist natural helpers to intervene and support children
• host this site on the Internet with information about and ways to help children of alcoholics and other drug dependent parents.
• send information packets to all who ask, and
• maintain a toll-free phone available to all.

It’s the innocent children (1 in 4 under the age of 18) who suffer when their parents abuse alcohol and other drugs. The worst part is, they can’t help themselves. But you can. Join us in our critical work for these vulnerable children. Email or call us (toll-free) at 1-888-554-COAS to learn more about their daily plight and what small steps can be taken to make a great difference in their lives.

Join them on Facebook.