• The Importance of Family Mealtime
  What's dinnertime like in your home? Does everyone heat up their own meal in the microwave at different times and retire to their own corner of the house? Eating dinner together as a family has become a lost art. A lot of emphasis is placed on what we eat, but not on how we eat.
• Wising Up to Media
  Today’s youth receive an unending flood of messages from a growing number of sources. For many kids, electronic communication is a full-time job. Besides competing with activities such as homework, physical activity, and family life, the many hours kids spend gazing at screens and tapping keys are likely to shape their tastes, beliefs, and behavior.
• Make the Most of Red Ribbon Week 2007
  During National Red Ribbon Week, October 23-28, 2007, millions of young people and adults will support healthy lifestyles by wearing or displaying a red ribbon. This nationwide celebration has become a major force for raising public awareness and mobilizing communities to combat underage drinking and illegal drug use among youth.
• Elementary School Success Helps Keep Kids Drug Free
  Most parents don’t realize that the benefits of getting good grades can affect more than their kids’ future education and careers. Kids who do well in school are more likely to be drug free. It’s a great reason to help your child thrive in his studies and develop a positive attitude toward learning.
• Know the Warning Signs - Prevent Suicide in Young People
  Suicide is a serious problem among young people. You may be surprised to learn that it is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 19-year-olds in the United States. Only accidents and homicide are more common causes of death for this age group. A far greater number of youths attempt suicide each year. Suicide attempts are not easy to count because many may not be treated in a hospital or may not be recorded as self-inflicted injuries. Survey data from 2005 show that 17 percent of high school students had seriously thought about suicide, 13 percent had made plans to attempt suicide, and more than 8 percent had made a suicide attempt during the year before the survey.
• Parent's Prevention Primer—Risk and Protective Factors
  You try to keep your kids healthy, right? You make sure they get enough sleep, eat fruits and vegetables, and brush their teeth. Prevention is key to keeping your child well. When it comes to alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, preventive measures—also called “protective factors”—can help keep your child from using substances.¹ In contrast, risk factors are like red flags that can warn you about possible dangers in your child’s future—and help you prevent those dangers.
• Raising the Kind of Kid Who Is Kind to Others
  Kindness is one of the most important habits that we can help our kids develop. When we do a "good deed" for other people, it makes them feel good and it makes us feel good-but kindness carries other benefits, too. Research shows that being kind can benefit physical and mental health, and it helps people feel more connected to their communities.
• Stress Management for Children: Add Play to Child’s Day
  Children, teens, and their parents are under more stress than ever. Lists of "things to do" and "stars to reach for" grow longer. More to do means more stress to manage. This advice about stress management for children may seem ironic but holds true: When your child or teenager seems stressed by a busy schedule, schedule some time for free play.
• Surgeon General Calls for Action on Underage Drinking
  The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a wakeup call to every American to join in solving the underage drinking problem. Parents and other caregivers, communities, governments—all sectors of society—are challenged to answer the call.
• Ads Make Tobacco Tempting
  Want to cut the risk that your child will start using tobacco? Be ready to stand firm. Slick marketing of tobacco products can exert a powerful influence on young people looking for new experiences. Still, parents who are aware of these effects can help guard adolescents against messages that promote risky behavior.

* We refer to a child as "him" in some places and "her" in others. We do this for easier reading. All information applies to both boys and girls unless otherwise specified.