Parenting Daily

Are you involved in your school or region’s PTA? Some parents think PTA is only for younger grades. In some cases, that’s true—PTA may drop off a bit when students hit high school. At that point, teens are pretty good at running the student council and use a lot of teacher sponsors for activities. I do encourage parent involvement in their children’s schools, no matter their age or grade. Go to the open houses, get their phone numbers and email addresses, take advantage of online systems that let you check your child’s homework, grades, attendance, and discipline records. I also like the pta.org website. While browsing the site today, I came across this great article on incorporating all ages of kids into a visit to the museum. So often, it seems children’s interests are so varied, it can be difficult for parents of children with different age ranges to find an activity that works for everyone. I hadn’t thought of the museum as being a good choice, but check out the article for yourself. And tell me, are you still involved in PTA even though your child is a teen?

Several months ago, I attended a presentation put on by Clark Flatt, founder of The Jason Foundation. In 1997, Mr. Flatt lost his youngest son, Jason (age 16), to suicide. As many people do in times of tragedy, he looked for answers and studied teen suicide. He was alarmed to find out the statistics of suicide attempts and completed suicides (approximately 100 teens per week commit suicide). He made it a goal to educate other parents, teachers, adults, and students about the warning signs. One of the most unique things about Mr. Flatt’s foundation stems from his previous career as a corporate executive. Though he no longer works for a business corporation, he retained that knowledge and those contacts. He has put them to good use, getting corporate sponsorships for his Jason Foundation products. This makes them free-of-charge to schools and others who can benefit from their suicide prevention training. Check out the website and look for the “parent” side of the triangle, or click here.