During our live on February 1st, 2019, we shared the 6 things parents should be doing to change the lives of your children; a how-to, if you will, for keeping your children happy and healthy!
6 Things Parents Really Need to Know!
1. Have dinner together 5 nights a week. Dinner is what matters most! Avoid phones and texting at the table, in fact, try to avoid texting each other in the house! The food at dinner time is important, but learning the art of conversation and communication is even more important! *Food Nanny pro tip: If you can't manage to make dinner happen, try a snack and greet session at 8:30 or 9:00! I knew a family that did this, and it saved them all! Just come together before bed and enjoy a quick snack while you chat! If you do this on a consistent basis, you will bond! 2. Together, as a family, take your children to church or a synagogue weekly to increase spirituality. It is no coincidence that the most successful anti-drug and anti-alcohol programs have a spiritual component. If your children are taught at a young age that there is something out there bigger and more important than themselves, they are more likely to respect and appreciate the wonders of life, and less likely to destroy it with drugs and alcohol. Help them gain respect for themselves and for others! 3. Check your child's homework nightly! You will be involved in their daily participation of homework assignments, it will let your children know that they matter, and you will see early warning signs if something is off track! 4. Keep them honest! Demanding the truth from your children, and ensuring you get it. Insist on knowing where your kids are. Monitor friends, time, and places. Children who tell the truth to their parents are acknowledging the boundaries that have been set. If they lie about where they are, they are most assuredly lying about what they do. 5. Take kids on a vacation at least one week every year. You could stay with family, go camping, or stay close to home! This does not have to be expensive! 6. Participate in a team sport. Working with a team teaches so much. Team members are often even less tolerant of substance abuse than parents, for good reason. When teenagers are forced to depend on each other's physical health and performance, they are less likely to engage in harmful physical behavior. Peer pressure to do the right thing can be a powerful motivating force. We hope you enjoyed these 6 tips! We are so passionate about keeping families together! XO, Liz and Lizi Frank Luntz- Author of 'What Americans Really Want, Really' Michelle Gorbin- Author of 'The Big Book of Parenting Solutions' *Interview of 6,400 families across America Benefits of Meal Planning: Sentinel News Article Featuring The Food Nanny