As the 2012 Presidential election approaches and we’re exposed to all the positives and negatives of the American political process, it’s a good opportunity to speak with your kids about the qualities that make a good leader. By putting this into context, kids might become more interested in the political process and history and more importantly they may begin to identify qualities they like in others that they want to emulate themselves.

Does your child already have the makings of a future leader? Developing these traits even further and acknowledging how valuable they are gives children a sense of importance and individuality, which can be essential when faced with peer pressure. Building self-esteem is one of the key ingredients in keeping kids confident enough in themselves to make positive decisions and resist the pressure to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Remember that your kids look up to you because you are the leaders of your household; you have the power to influence them in a way no one else does.  Always encourage them to expand on their strengths and work on their weaknesses and teach them to make the right decisions in their lives, even if they are unpopular or hard. It’s important we do this because the leaders of tomorrow are being raised right in our homes today!

What qualities do you think make a great leader?

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?

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!