As an engaged parent, there are countless ways to show your kids you care! We’ve put together 10 of our favorites.

1. Celebrate everyday milestones. Make a special dinner with your child as the guest of honor to toast losing a tooth, making the soccer team, getting an A on a science paper, and more.

2. Remind your children of something they’ve taught you.

3. Treat your kids to “just one more book” every now and again even if it’s late and you’re tired. And don’t forget to read to older children who already know how to read themselves. It’s a great opportunity to snuggle.

4. Slip little love notes, jokes, poems, and words of encouragement into your children’s lunchboxes, backpacks, or next to their beds (if you leave before they wake up), just to let them know you’re thinking about them all day long. For kids a little older, try sending them cute notes via text messages.

5. Let your children hear you complimenting them to someone else.

6. Tell them how wonderful it is being their parent and how much you like the way they’re growing up.

7. Cut your kids’ sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutter hearts and stars.

8. Wear the “jewels” your children make for you and display their artwork proudly in a special, visible place.

9. Tell them their feelings are okay and acknowledge what they are feeling.

10. Hug them, kiss them, and say “I love you” every day, no matter what. Kids thrive on it and it’s a daily fix we all need no matter what our age!

How do you show your kids you care?

Mark your calendars!

As we begin 2012, we have our eyes on one very important date: September 24 – which is when Family Day will be celebrated nationwide this year!

It’s never too early to start planning your Family Day celebrations. To help get your wheels turning, we’d like to spotlight a couple of organizations that have created campaigns around Family Day for their communities.

The Seven Counties’ Services Regional Prevention Center in Louisville, KY, which works to provide drug and alcohol prevention strategies for local coalitions, churches, schools, and other agencies in the area, created a Family Day-themed calendar to distribute locally through their faith-base and community coalitions. They expect to distribute about 2,000 calendars.

The Northampton Prevention Coalition is launching two campaigns to reach parents in the Northampton, MA area in the hopes of reducing underage substance use by reminding parents that family dinners are an effective way to help keep kids on track. They plan to distribute about 2,000 postcards in their community at the local school, libraries, City Hall, Department of Public Health, as well as a PTO event at Northampton High School that will promote family dinners.

Other groups celebrate Family Day by writing about it in their newsletters, on their websites and blogs and on their social media pages. Some people hold pot luck dinners in their neighborhoods and others create information packets with Family Day materials for parents to take home.

We hope these examples give you some ideas for how to celebrate! But if you’re still not sure, check out our Get Involved page which has suggestions for community groups, parents and individuals.

Let us know how you plan to celebrate this year and we’ll brainstorm ways to make your event a success!

Connecting with your kids is hard sometimes. We try to make it a little easier. Check out our top 10 suggestions below!

1. Really listen to your kids when they are talking to you even if it means taking a break from the dishes or missing part of your favorite TV program.

2. Get to know their schedules, friends, and teachers so you can ask, “Did you and Sam sit together at lunch today?” or “What song did Mr. Smith teach in music class today?” instead of simply asking, “What did you do today?”

3. Instead of saying, “You’re doing it wrong,” when your child makes a mistake, try saying, “Why don’t you try it this way.”

4. Teach your children to play jacks, use a yo-yo, knit, or do something you loved as a child. Or let your child choose something new you can learn together.

5. Get messy with them: Make snow angels, put your hands in the finger-paint, or mush up that clay.

6. Clip magazine pictures or articles that interest them.

7. Get out the photo albums and their baby books and tell your children stories about their beginnings.

8. At the end of each week, take turns sharing your week’s accomplishments around the dinner table.

9. Bend the rules sometimes. Let your children put on their boots and jump in the puddles you usually tell them to avoid.

10. Create a secret word, sign, or gesture of affection that only you and your child share.

How do you connect with your kids?

We’re so happy to have our Mom Blogger Amy Roskelley sharing her thoughts and experiences about the importance of family dinners and how she makes time to get everyone around the kitchen table. Check out her top 5 Ways to Make Time For Dinner:

As my kids get older, their activities demand more of our family time.  As young kids, there was seldom a night when we weren’t all together for dinner.  As teenagers and pre-teens, there is seldom a night that we are all together!  But these are the times that are most important for us to spend family time, even though we are busy!  So, we’ve adopted a few strategies that help us to spend meal time together, even though it’s tough.

1. We reserve Monday nights for family night.  Monday nights are sacred at our house.  Any activities that conflict with Monday  night, is simply not attended. Our local schools do not have athletics on Monday nights, our church avoids meetings on Monday, and we choose not to join any clubs that require us to be gone on Monday.  For as long as the kids can remember, we have always turned down invitations on Monday night in favor of Family night.

2. We turn off the TV.  We waste a lot of prime time watching TV, yet we have a recording device.  Once dad comes home, we turn off the TV, and sit down to eat with whoever is home.

3. We plan our meals and calendar the time.  On Sunday’s, we sit down and decide what we’ll eat for the week, as well as what time. This way, when the kids are out in the neighborhood playing, they know what time to be home. If we need to eat at 6, because we have a basketball game at 7, all the kids are on the same page, and they come home by 6!

4. We plan for dessert.  The easiest way to get my kids to the table, and have them stay at the table, is when they anticipate there will be dessert.  I hardly ever have a child be late for mealtime, when they know there are brownies to be enjoyed.

5. We stay flexible.  When we decide as a family, dinner is impossible to be together for, we may have lunch, brunch, or breakfast together.  This actually happens a lot on Sunday’s, when we get home from church at 2.  It’s much easier to have a big family meal at 2:30! We’re always starving after church, and we are altogether because we just got home.  If we wait any longer, inevitably, people start getting busy and leave.

It’s important to us to spend family time together.  I’m always shocked when I look back at the last 13 years and realize, my kids only have a few years left with me.  There is nothing I will regret more than being too busy to eat a meal together, and I’m anxious for those memories to stay with my kids when they leave home.

Amy Roskelley writes for the Super Healthy Kids blog.  She loves eating, writing recipes, and running as long and as far as possible!

One of our favorite things about celebrating Family Day all year round is being able to give parents tools to help make their family dinners easier, more interactive and more fun! We think the Family Dinner Kit does just that. Whether you’re whipping up a quick dinner for your family, getting the kids involved in the cooking or somewhere in between, it’s possible to make dinnertime quality family time.

Are you looking for ways to entertain your kids while you’re fixing their meal? Print out the Activity Mat and let them play! Let kids color in the Placemat or Family Coat of Arms during dessert and don’t forget to pick a square from the Family Fun Challenge after dinner. Or get creative with the Family Fun Stories and Fairy Tales!

We’d love to know which of the activities are favorites in your home. And if you have any suggestions for activities you’d like to see in the Family Dinner Kit, let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

Parents may think it’s a rite of passage for their kids to experiment with substances but research now shows that the earlier kids experiment, the worse the consequences and the more likely they are to become addicted.

Addiction is a complex brain disease that affects both the structure and function of the brain and like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, addiction is rooted in genetics and affected by both psychological and environmental factors.

Adolescence is the most critical time for preventing substance abuse because the risk of addiction is greater than any other period. Why? The teen brain is primed to take risks – experimenting with drugs and alcohol being one of them – but because the brain is still developing, it is more vulnerable to the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. Some teens are at even greater risk of becoming addicted to substances because of genetics, family history, trauma and mental health or behavioral problems.

Adolescents are at an increased risk of addiction if they have a family history of substance abuse, childhood experiences with abuse, neglect or other trauma, mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, low self-esteem, poor academic performance and problems with bullying in school.

If your child fits any of the criteria above, don’t panic!  That doesn’t mean they will automatically become addicted to substances. It just means it’s important for you to remain vigilant and engaged in your child’s life. The pathway from substance use to addiction is not set in stone – if a parent, teacher, or mentor can prevent or delay the onset of substance use – be it tobacco, alcohol, controlled prescription or other drugs – as long as possible, the child has a much higher chance of staying substance abuse-free their whole lives.

We know that a child who reaches age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using drugs is virtually certain never to do so. We have an obligation to try to make this a reality for the children in our lives.

Do you suspect that your child may be experimenting with smoking, drinking or using drugs?  Learn how to spot the signs and symptoms here: http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/tools-you-can-use/signs-symptoms-and-prevention/

Don’t let the cold weather and busy schedules keep you from spending quality time with your family this holiday season! Check out our top 10 list of how to create new memories and traditions that your kids will cherish.

1. Make holiday cookies together. Get out the sprinkles, chocolate chips, cookie cutters and colored frosting and go nuts! Package them in decorated paper plates and spread the holiday cheer.

2. Give your kids’ room a mini-makeover with a mini home improvement project. Paint the walls (or just one wall), put up some framed pictures, add a funky light switch or refurbish an old dresser.

3. Got old magazines lying around the house? Don’t throw them out just yet. Pick a theme (“What I’m thankful for this holiday season”) and make a collage.

4. Start a tradition by getting the whole family involved in volunteering. A soup kitchen or local animal shelters are good places to start!

5. Have a photo taking contest. Buy disposable cameras for each member of the family and get creative. Put the best photos in an album and write who took it, when and a short descriptive sentence.

6. Play charades. Still fun as an adult!

7. Get colorful. Step 1: Buy a pack of white tees and socks or use some you already have at home. Step 2: Tie-dye them. Step 3: Wear your matching tie-dyed clothes for a family picture. Step 4: Laugh.

8. Play a game of Scrabble (check the Scrabble dictionary for the tricky Q, Z and X words beforehand!)

9. Plan a themed family dinner. Turn pizza night into Mexican Pizza Night!

10. Rent an exercise video for kids and do some stretches together. Then eat the above-mentioned cookies in #1.

What’s on your list of favorite indoor family activities?

The debate about allowing your teen to drink at home is one that many parents may have to face. Being able to monitor and control underage drinking under one’s own roof may seem more appealing than the unknown – unsupervised parties, drinking and driving, fake ID’s and underage bars. And while serving alcohol at home to your teen and their friends might seem like the lesser of two evils, it’s also illegal in some states and there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that allowing children to drink at home will prevent them from binge drinking outside the home.

We know that children’s brains are not fully developed until their 20’s, and that there is no way of knowing whether or not an individual has a predisposition to become addicted to alcohol. We do know that for every year you’re able to postpone your child’s first use of alcohol, their risk of becoming dependent on alcohol goes down.

We also know this: teens who believe that their parents will not care if they are caught drinking are more likely to drink, binge drink and use other substances. Serving alcohol at home may send a message that underage drinking isn’t that serious when the opposite should be stressed. Whatever you decide is best for your child, it’s important to set clear limits about alcohol use and enforce the consequences, because at the end of the day, your teen really does want you to be a parent.

Tell us your thoughts on this issue: have you been faced with this situation?

Happy holiday time! Which also means party time, gift time, family time…needless to say, it’s a busy time! It might seem that there isn’t enough time in the day for family dinner, which is why we at CASA Columbia have created this Recipe Book, a collection of favorite personal recipes from our family to yours! You can choose from any of our family-friendly soups, salads, main courses and desserts and have an answer when your kids ask, “What’s for dinner?” in a matter of minutes. We hope you enjoy these favorite recipes with your loved ones and remember: What your children really want at the dinner table is YOU!

Welcome to our very first blog post! We have decided to launch this blog so we can delve deeper into topics such as parental engagement, family dinners, and the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with your kids. We will be blogging about current events, research about substance abuse and addiction, and how to be an engaged parent, so that you will have the tips and tools you need to help raise healthy and substance-free kids. We’ll also be posting recipes, photos and featuring guest bloggers who can add to the discussion.

We hope this will be a place where we can also hear from you! We look forward to you sharing your thoughts and opinions on how to raise substance-free kids. We’d also love to hear how Family Day and family dinners are celebrated in your home, community and across your state!

Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM is all about reminding parents that Dinner Makes a Difference! The parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is a simple yet effective way to help keep your kids substance free. We also stress the importance of being involved in every facet of your child’s life.

With the winter holidays around the corner, it’s a perfect opportunity to capitalize on family time. Get each generation around the table to tell a funny story; have the kids help make the cookies, set the table and make festive decorations together; play a game of charades after dinner; take out the photo album and have everyone say at least one thing they are thankful for.

Another great way to celebrate family time and family ties this holiday season is by volunteering together. Giving back to the community – at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, or a local hospital or nursing home – creates new memories and brings you closer to your children. Doing community service with your kids is also a great way to help build up their confidence and self-esteem, and research shows that having good self-esteem can help reduce your kids’ risk of substance abuse.

So, tell us, how do you plan to make the most of your family time during the holidays?