Tag Archives: Family

Enjoy free family fun with a movie night at the Haleiwa gym. All are welcome to join this event sponsored by the Waialua Community Association.

Click for more info: https://www.khon2.com

Every third Sunday of the month Bank of Hawaii organizes Family Sunday’s for the community so your Ohana can experience all HMoA has to offer with free admission. Experience the exhibitions with a tour, or join in the fun with drawing contests, storytelling and gallery hunts that your Keiki will love.

To reserve your tickets go to https://honolulumuseum.org

“The Vatican, the Museum of Museums,” not only houses the extensive collections of art, archaeology and ethno-anthropology gathered by the Popes over the centuries, but also contains some of the Apostolic Palace’s most extraordinary and artistically significant rooms. Now you can visit this beautiful historical site from home.

Visit the museum here: http://www.museivaticani.va

The show will talk to kids about racism, the recent nationwide protests, embracing diversity and being more empathetic and understanding. Big Bird will join CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill to moderate the event. They will be joined by “Sesame Street” characters — including Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Rosita — and other experts answering questions submitted by families.

How to watch: The town hall will air on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español. It will stream live on CNN.com‘s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps, without requiring a cable log-in.

Need a quarantine challenge? Get the whole family to make an instrument, recreate a Hawaii Artwork, and write your own hip hop rhymes! Then, take the Arts Quarantine Challenge! Join the Zoom webinar to find out how to participate!

Click here to register for the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register

Parents face more challenges than ever in having effective prevention conversations with their teens around marijuana use. Despite the fact that this drug is more potent than ever, perception of harm is at an all-time low due to legalization, medicinal use and methods of ingesting like vaping and edibles which seem so much easier and more palatable. We can’t give up! In this webinar, we will explore the important role parents play, discuss the landscape of cannabis products our kids may be exposed to and learn how we can reduce the chances of our teens using.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register

There was a time when middle and high students were required to take courses about basic life skills. Increasingly, schools are dropping these classes, leaving parents to help guide their child through these important practices. At times, parents find it hard with their busy schedules to teach their teen basic life skills. Here are 5 everyday life skills that every teenager should learn.

Managing Money

In today’s world of easy credit and financial marketing, it’s important to teach your teen how to budget and manage money. There are many different ways you can teach your adolescent this very important skill. If your teen has a job, have them break down monthly expenses and work out a plan on how they will budget until their next pay check. If your teen does not have a job, create a mock scenario or have your teen do chores around the house to earn money. Also, teach them how to save money for unexpected expenses. Helping them understand how bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and interest work can prepare them for the challenges of adulthood.

Cooking and Making Healthy Food Choices

As they get older, your teen will need to be able to cook on their own and make healthy food choices. Every teenager should know the very basics when it comes to cooking, but you will also need to teach them how to use the oven, stovetop, and microwave properly and safely. As your adolescent becomes more comfortable with being in the kitchen, have them help you cook whole meals. Finally, teach them how to prepare some of their favorite meals from start to finish. One fun activity is to let your teenager make you a meal all by themselves with little or no help. If they gain confidence in the kitchen, have them make a meal once a week for the entire family. Be sure to explain to your teen how to make healthy food choices and how to plan meals ahead of time.

Cleaning

A teenager needs to know how to clean every room in the house. Perhaps your adolescent is used to picking up his or her room, but how about house? Have your teen clean a different part of the house every week along with their room. Teach them what to use and how to clean properly. In addition, make your teen responsible for doing their own laundry every week and teach them the proper way to use the machines. When your teenager moves out, they will at least know how what needs to be done to keep up a home. Whether they do it or not is a different issue.

Time Management

Another life skill you should teach your teenager is how to manage their time and plan ahead. It’s important to begin developing this life skill by middle school. This will help your teenager get organized, prioritize what need to get done, and prepare academically and for their future. Having time management skills will help your teen build self- reliance and reduce stress.

Home Maintenance

The final life skill you should teach your teenager is basic home maintenance skills. Teaching your teen how to turn off the main water supply, unclog a sink or toilet, check the electrical breaker, what to do in an emergency situation, and how to properly use the fire extinguisher is essential for upkeep and safety. It’s also helpful to go over the use of tools and basic woodworking skills.

Preparing for adulthood is more than finishing school and embarking on a job. It’s also about learning how to live independently and managing your life successfully. As a parent, you can help make the transition to adulthood successful by helping your child develop these skills well before they leave the house.

There are many different reasons why youth begin drinking alcohol and using drugs. By knowing the potential causes, you can support your child to make healthy choices. Let’s explore some reasons why adolescents use drugs or alcohol and what parents can do.

To Feel Included

Sometimes adolescents use drugs or alcohol to help them feel part of a group. In this life stage, their bodies are going through many changes and they’re figuring out who they are. When drugs or alcohol are normalized in a social environment, it increases the likelihood an adolescent will use. During adolescence, youth become increasingly more focused on peer relationship as part of their natural development. The desire to be accepted and fears of being labeled negatively by others becomes heightened.

By knowing your child’s friends, as well as their parents, this can help increase your awareness of their social environment. Find out if there is going to be an adult home when you child is spending time at their friend’s house. Also, don’t assume other parents have the same values that you do regarding drug and alcohol use among youth. Instead, communicate and affirm those values with the adult, especially if your child will be spending time at their house.

Though peer influence grows during adolescents, it’s important to remember that family influence continues to make a significant difference in their choices. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 3 out of 4 teens say that their parents are the biggest influence on whether or not to drink alcohol. Parents have an impact on their child’s decision making through reasoned persuasion, communication of accurate information, consistent expectations, follow-through, and unconditional love.

Moderating Feelings

At times, youth turn to drug and alcohol use because they want to change how they feel. Adolescents look for something that will excite them. As stated earlier, they go through a lot of developmental changes during this stage in life. One of those changes is the brain development, which proceeds in stages. For example, some of the brain regions that reach maturity earliest are those that mediate direct contact with the environment by controlling sensory functions such as vision, hearing, touch and spatial processing. The next part to follow would be areas that coordinate those functions and last would be areas that manage the executive functions. Some executive functions include planning, setting priorities, organizing thoughts, suppressing impulses, and weighing the consequences. In addition to the brain development, the surge of hormones from puberty also impacts mood and excitability.

Not only does this process make it difficult for the adolescent brain to make reasoned decisions, but it increases risk-taking, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking. This results in a desire for activities with high excitement and low effort, as well as a heightened interest in novel stimuli. All of which occurs before the capacity for good judgement and weighing consequences has fully developed. Though the process is a part of normal adolescent development that has evolved to encourage youth to leave the nest and seek their own path, these factors do increase the risk of drug and alcohol use when seeking out unhealthy opportunities for thrills, strong sensations, and heightened emotions. By understanding that the desire for excitement is a natural part of adolescent development, you can help your teen find positive ways to express that energy.

Adolescents also use drugs and alcohol to cope with negative feelings. When stressful life events occur, such as a break up, conflict at home, or losing a close friend, they may use drugs or alcohol to cope with feelings of sadness, anger, or loneliness. In other cases, youth may be experiencing a behavioral health disorder such depression, anxiety, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity. They may find temporary relief of their symptoms through the drugs or alcohol, but it can also worsen the problem long-term. Behavioral health disorders can be treated. If you are concerned that your child is struggling with overwhelming feelings, set aside time to sit down and talk with them, giving your child the space to share what they’re experiencing. If it appears your child needs professional support, don’t hesitate to contact a school counselor or health care provider for further evaluation.

Social Norms and the Media

Adolescents are highly susceptible to perceptions of what’s “normal” in society. A teen’s perception of the norms around substance use can contribute to their decision to use alcohol or drugs. If an adolescent believes that most kids drink or use drugs regularly, even if this isn’t factual, it increases the likelihood they will engage in the activity. Perception of norms has a significant influence on behavior.

Even though most adolescents aren’t using drugs or drinking alcohol, the media often portrays it that way. In fact, media attention on drugs and alcohol can serve to normalize those behaviors. Legal status, availability, and marketing all play a role in the youth’s perception of drugs and alcohol. Adolescents are highly sensitive to how drugs and alcohol use is portrayed. When celebrities promote drugs and alcohol through their photos on social media, music normalizes it as a part of the subculture, and marijuana is celebrate on 4/20, society communicates a strong message to youth.

Be well informed of what your child is interested in. Spend time watching the shows they like and listen to their music so you can understand the culture they inhabit. Most adolescents love to show up their parents with their knowledge, so ask questions. Learn about their interests and don’t dismiss them. Take your child’s celebrity interests and seriously­ ask what it is about that person they like. Don’t try to be the cool parent, instead, be the engaged parent. It may feel difficult addressing the powerful message of the media, but recognize that there are positive and negative media forces at work influencing your child. Adolescents may obsess over celebrities, but they don’t watch anyone as closely as they do their families. Parents too convey their own potent message through their words and actions. Be a positive model for your child and create an environment that counters negative forces in our culture.

What Role do Families Play?

Adolescent drug and alcohol use is impacted by many factors. Though it might seem that parents have little to no impact over these extensive forces, family influence plays a tremendous and significant role in preventing drug and alcohol use in adolescents. Communicate the facts with your child, that most teens do not use drugs and alcohol; but overall the drug use has been decreasing nationally and in Hawaii. Try and help your child connect with positive outlets for their energy like school, sports, clubs, hobbies and many more. Find ways to reinforce healthy behaviors, whether it’s reading, something active or artistic. Set aside times to talk to your child about not using drugs and alcohol, and the harmful effects to the growing body. By helping your child navigate the choices they will need to make throughout adolescence to adulthood, you are arming them with tools to last a lifetime.