MASK The Magazine Spring 2017

Today we know more. Today, we can do more. Who said parenting is easy or supposed to be all fun and games? If you think that, maybe you should think again. Parents, if you’re not exhausted, constantly learning, or hearing or seeing your kids get mad at you, then perhaps you need to examine your methods. I’m only saying this as a mother of many, and the challenges they face are derailing our children from success. I’m not a doctor or a psychologist. I’m just a mom who, almost 10 years ago, had the desire to know more and do more to raise my children. I’ve always believed a child is born to be loved. If they’re not getting the love they need from you, they’ll find it somewhere else—in the form…

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 our 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 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, strengthen parent-child…

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. ANGELA AMBROSE // Writer During her 25-year writing career, Angela Ambrose has written for Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. Public Health Service, as well as a number of magazines, newspapers and websites. A mother of two, Angela enjoys writing about the important issues affecting kids today and applying what she learns at home. Angela is also a nationally certified group fitness instructor and registered…

In the United States, life expectancy is declining, partly due to obesity and unhealthy eating. Consider these sobering facts: + Three out of four Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit a day. + Nine out of 10 Americans don’t meet the minimum daily intake of vegetables. + A single serving of vegetables has six times more nutrition per dollar than junk food, and 48 times more nutrition per dollar than meat. + Less than 3 percent of Americans meet all the four simple criteria for health: Not smoking, maintaining healthy weight, eating healthy, and exercising 150 minutes per week. + Ninety-nine percent of American children consume more than twice the recommended amount of added sugar daily. + Just ditching sodas, juices, and all foods with added sugar would slash our rates of diabetes, obesity…

Scooby Snax, K2, spice, Marley, Cloud 9—they all mean the same thing: danger. Chemically-laced drugs are sold every day to kids and teens. Because synthetic drugs do not show up on drug tests, they seem like the safest option. Available for sale legally and over-the-counter, they are labeled as potpourri or herbal incense. Kids and teens buy these products and smoke them as “fake weed.” Synthetic drugs are made to act like other drugs. Because they only mimic the more intense drugs, they are considered to be less dangerous. In reality, however, synthetic drugs are some of the most hazardous. Numerous chemicals are used to make these drugs act as poison to the body and the brain, resulting in many physical and mental risks including increased heart rate, kidney failure, paralysis, seizures,…

If you want to improve communication with your family, start the conversation by making conversation. It can be challenging to start the conversation with your kids and you may be nervous or feel as if they won’t want to hear what you have to say. But one of the best ways to begin talking to your kids about difficult topics is to “break the ice” with fun topics. One creative way to get the discussion going is to make a “chatter matters” jar for your family. First, find a time to sit down with your kids to make the jar. Use colorful construction paper, glitter, paint, stickers and markers to decorate and personalize your family jar. Then, on small pieces of paper, write some conversation starters that would be fun and…