Welcome to Week 9’s Family Meeting!
Each of you should bring these tracking sheets with your entries:
- One-Liners Forms
- Family Freedom Pledge
- Freedom Pledge to Never Drink and Drive
Family meeting rules:
- Use an agenda.
- One person talks at a time.
- Everyone gets a chance to talk, if they want to.
- No one puts anyone down.
- Keep it short and sweet!
Each week, during your Learn & Earn Lessons, each family member is asked to share ideas. The Family Meeting is a time to review those ideas.
At every meeting:
- Compliments: Say something you like about each person
- Calendar: List activities or events each person has scheduled for the upcoming week
- Past Business: Discuss your SFP activities progress and rewards
- New Business: Discuss current SFP goals and practice skills
- Value Message: Share pro-social family beliefs
- Have Fun! Games and treats
Repeat This Week’s Power Phrase:
Our brains are the most awesome computers ever created. Polluting them with toxic chemicals like alcohol, tobacco and drugs harms our precious brains. The true mark of a good friend is one who helps me become my best self. Parents help that process, with effective monitoring.
Agenda Item #1: 5 C’s to Stay Smart and Safe
Review
One-Liners. You and your kids learned about the “5 C’s to Stay Smart and Safe” this week:
- Caution (ask questions)
- Cool it (name the negative behavior and say “no”)
- Change the plan (suggest a better idea)
- Catch you later (leave, if necessary)
- Call me (call me if you change your mind)
Kids were asked to come up with “one-liners”, good come-backs to use in step (2.) Here are the ones they submitted:
Your Children's "One Liner" Entries
Oops! We could not locate your form.
One-Liners. You and your kids learned about the “5 C’s to Stay Smart and Safe” this week:
- Caution (ask questions)
- Cool it (name the negative behavior and say “no”)
- Change the plan (suggest a better idea)
- Catch you later (leave, if necessary)
- Call me (call me if you change your mind)
Directions
Kids were asked to come up with “one-liners” (good come-backs to use in step 2). Review their Tracking Sheets. If none are brought, then open this PDF and come up with some ideas as a family.
Family Tracking Sheet:
As a family, practice the 5-C’s now: Take turns being the “friend” trying to convince your kid to do something they know is unsafe or unhealthy, so they can practice their responses.
Some typical scenarios include:
- Drugs or alcohol at a party or sleep-over
- Someone who has had alcohol but is going to drive your children
- Kids finding themselves at a gathering where an illegal or unsafe condition presents itself (someone has a gun, or someone brought drugs, or no adults are present and things are getting out of hand)
As you practice, come up with a safe word or phrase that your children can use to signal you that they need help. This requires trust. Kids must know that you will pick them up if they get into a tough situation.
Practice! For example, use the scenario that a kid ends up in a group where drugs are being used, and has no safe way home. They could tell their friends they forgot to check in with the parents, call you on the phone, and use a pre-planned phrase such as “Oh, do I have to?!” which would be your cue to play “insistent parent” where you say “Yes, I’m picking you up NOW or you are grounded for the weekend!” This gives the kid an “out” with the group, they can complain about you, while knowing they can get out of the situation and back home to a safe place.
Agenda Item #2: Family Freedom Pledge
Review
Family Freedom Pledge. You and your children were asked to sign a pledge to avoid alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD.) The kids’ pledge is:
BECAUSE alcohol, tobacco, and drugs can negatively alter the neuro-pathways of my brain and cause me to become addicted, and
BECAUSE I VALUE my freedom and refuse to become a slave to greedy drug dealers or alcohol and tobacco companies who would profit from my addiction, and
BECAUSE I want to enjoy life protect my brain’s ability to sense fun and pleasure from natural highs, and
BECAUSE I have the power to make SMART choices and keep my brain fully functioning and addiction free,
THEREFORE I promise to stay alcohol, tobacco, and drug free.
The Adult pledge is:
BECAUSE we as parents respect and support our children in these important choices, we will honor our responsibilities as parents and commit to provide a supportive, loving family atmosphere, set clear rules, and boundaries of no underage drinking, drug, or tobacco use; help our kids enjoy life through safe, alcohol-free fun; and monitor their activities to ensure our kids stay in an alcohol and drug free social environment.
Directions
Family Freedom Pledge. If you or kids haven’t signed the pledge, this is the time to discuss it and to sign, either a digital form, or a paper version of the same. Here are the ones who have signed:
Family Tracking Sheet:
I signed the Pledge!
Oops! We could not locate your form.
Agenda Item #3: Discuss ATODs
Review
Freedom Pledge to Never Drink and Drive. An important part of growing up is avoiding dangerous situations, and drinking and driving is one of the MOST dangerous situations your kids will encounter.
Directions
Have your children sign the pledge specifically to avoid the danger of drinking and driving: Freedom Pledge to Never Drink and Drive
Discuss ATODs. To facilitate discussion about the dangers faced by your kids, here are some handouts that you will find helpful:
You and your children need to sign the pledge specifically to avoid the danger of drinking and driving.
Family Tracking Sheet:
Discuss ATODs. To facilitate discussion about the dangers faced by your kids, here are some handouts that you will find helpful: