MASK The Magazine Spring 2019

Saturday days and nights—and all the days before and after—traveling here and there, in the bleachers, on the sidelines or in the crowd…this is how I spent (and continue to spend) most of my time as a parent. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my kids. Life is short, and I have always wanted to nurture and strengthen what makes them spark and become excited about life. If you can find that and help them eventually turn it into a career, isn’t that the dream? It’s important to expose kids to many things and sometimes their passion happens by accident. Kids also need to have joy in their days instead of only the to-dos and deadlines they face daily. Their passions serve as their healthy outlet. If they lack passion, it…

MASK (Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids) is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization created in 2007 by a group of dedicated mothers who recognized the need to consistently educate families on rapidly changing issues. The MASK mission is to engage and educate parents, children and the community about the issues facing youth and to empower children to make safe, healthy choices. MASK fulfills its mission by engaging, educating and empowering families through the MASK E3 Institute, MASK The Magazine and our vastly informative website. The MASK E3 Institute is a comprehensive year long multi-year approach to building and strengthening life skills for children, including MASK Storytime (Pre-K), MASK Academy (kindergarten to 6th grade), MASK Prep (middle and high school), MASK Leadership (college) and Parent University. Through these platforms MASK aims to build healthy children,…

STACY BARRY // Writer Stacy Barry is a former public relations/marketing executive for the hospitality industry, and is currently a freelance writer in Houston, Texas. She received her degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and worked as a broadcast journalist for KAMC-TV in Lubbock, Texas. For the past 15 years she has done freelance and contract work from her home, while raising two children in the ’burbs. SHEFALI GANDHI, PSY.D. // Contributing Writer Dr. Shefali Gandhi is a licensed psychologist and clinical director at Childhelp. She focuses on healing and empowering children and families coping with such issues as anxiety, depression, ADHD, defiant behavior disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Gandhi is passionate about working with children to prevent and heal mental illness, provide education to the public, and foster change and growth to…

As parents, we have countless decisions to make every day, especially when it comes to food. Some of these decisions center around questions regarding the health of our children: What to feed them for breakfast? How can we make their meals more nutritious? What foods or supplements should we give them to boost immunity and brainpower? Are multivitamins the answer? When making nutrition decisions for your family, choose whole, unprocessed food as the foundation. The best choices are foods without a label or that have ingredients you can clearly identify as real food. Also, focus on rainbow eating or creating a meal that has two or more colors from produce, and add in a source of healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Lastly, reduce processed sugary foods…

Due to the peer pressure to make prom night a “night to remember,” it’s important to talk with your teen about the importance of taking safety precautions. By setting guidelines before prom night and explaining the situations they may find themselves in, you can help ensure your child has a safe, enjoyable and memorable prom night. 1 SET A CURFEW. Since you have minimal control over what your child does on prom night, talk with them beforehand, and together, set an enforceable curfew that is agreeable to both of you. Keep in mind that prom is a big night for your child—and by mutually agreeing to a curfew, you allow them to have some freedom while still giving them the supervision they need. 2 PEER PRESSURE. With prom night inevitably comes peer pressure. Remind…

DRUG If you think your child or teen is vaping, create a safe, open and comfortable space to talk to them about the dangers. Explain that young people who use THC or nicotine products in any form, including e-cigarettes or vaporizers, are at risk for long-lasting effects. These substances affect the development of the brain’s reward system, so continued use can lead to addiction as well as other health problems. BULLY Children go through physical body changes during adolescence; it’s a normal part of life. Unfortunately, however, these changes can sometimes create a target for bullying. Many young people who are taunted about their weight blame themselves for the abuse. Communicate to your child that they’re not to blame for being teased or bullied. Also, don’t urge them to lose weight to stop…