Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010 Family Dinners Make a Difference! “Let’s Fix Dinner” - Find out how surprisingly powerful dinner can be. Benefits include: Builds better communication, gets kids involved, makes dinner fun, builds good routines, makes time to reconnect, and strengthens family connections. "Regularly sitting down for a meal with your children is one way to connect and be involved with what's happening in their lives." - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University's Family Day –  A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM, sponsored by Stouffers is a national movement launched in 2001 that promotes the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners as a simple, effective way to prevent substance abuse in kids.  Family Day's 10th Anniversary will be celebrated across the country on September 27th, 2010. Join parents all across the country in taking the Family Day STAR Pledge to commit to: Spend time with your kids by having dinner together Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol Answer their questions and listen to what they say Recognize that YOU have the power to keep your kids substance-free! To learn more about Family Day, log on to www.CASAFamilyDay.org.  Data Studies show 72% of teens who ate often with their families said they would go to their parents if they had a problem. Studies show that teens who have family dinner 5 times a week are 45% less likely to drink and 66% less likely to do drugs. Studies show that teen girls who have family dinners 5 times a week are 33% less likely to develop eating disorders. Studies show that kids who eat 5 or more family meals a week are: more likely to get As and Bs in school more likely to think their parents are proud of them more than 50% less likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or try marijuana less likely to feel depressed or suicidal More than a MILLION Americans pledged to eat with their families on Family Day over the past three years 7 Secrets to Successful Family Dinners Start the pattern of family dinners when children are young Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer calls during dinnertime Talk about what happened in everyone’s day: school, work, extracurricular activities or current events Establish a routine to start and end each meal.  Light candles or tell a story After dinner play a board game or serve dessert to encourage the family to continue the conversation Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak For family dinner tips and tools, please visit: www.facebook.com/TuneInToKids
Family Day Information
Fun Things You Can Do		Links to Resources
TimeToTalk.org (conversations with kids) FamilyFun.com Jennifer Bushman’s Make it Easy recipes Lets Fix Dinner Family Dinner Toolkit		Resources for Raising Successful Kids Family Day Pledge Washoe County School District Safe and Drug Free Schools Nevada State Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) Treatment and Recovery Resources Family Resources Search Institute - 40 Developmental Assets® 40 Developmental Assets® for Adolescents (ages 12 - 18) 40 Developmental Assets® for Middle Childhood (ages 8 - 12) 40 Developmental Assets® for Grades K-3 (ages 5-9) 40 Developmental Assets® for Early Childhood (ages 3 - 5)
"Parents are the most potent and underused tool in preventing substance abuse." - Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Chairman and President           "The more often teens eat dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illicit drugs." - Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Chairman and President           The more often and earlier a child smokes, drinks and uses marijuana, the likelier that child is to use harder drugs like cocaine and heroin." - Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA Chairman and President
[Family Day 2009]