What do you tell your kids about alcohol?

** This is a request for your help - please read below and get in touch**

We are aiming to encourage parents to talk to their children about alcohol earlier.

Research has shown that parents don’t see alcohol as one of their ‘priority’ concerns and are, therefore, far less likely to talk about it with them compared to other issues.

Alcohol does, however, increase the risk and severity of other things happening that we know parents (and young people) do worry about such as violence, unwanted pregnancy, road traffic accidents. To highlight the risks and dangers of alcohol to parents and young people, a new awareness campaign, ‘Why Let Drink Decide?’ is being launched and will appear in print, TV, radio and online.

To coincide with this, we are looking for case studies. We are hoping to illustrate the consequences of alcohol by finding dads/parents/families who think it's important to talk to their kids about it.

They may have had negative experiences as a result of alcohol, but we are also looking to speak to dads who haven't suffered a negative impact from alcohol in their family, but feel that educating their children is important anyway. (We are not necessarily after hard hitting stories.)

Please get in touch if you would like to share your experiences. Write to: editor@dads-space.com or use the form:

'Alcohol. It's no joke' - New campaign to tackle teenage drinking

A new site was launched today: http://www.itsnojoke.tv/. The site is raising awareness and opening the conversation about teenage drinking. A number of comedians have joined the campaign and will be making films to highlight some of the issues. The first video is by new comedy talent Josie Long.



Make sure to check out the website and watch out for new videos from the likes of Bill Bailey, Jo Brand and Russell Kane.

Christmas guide from the National Autistic Society

For most people, Christmas is a fun and exciting time. But for children with autism and their families, it can be very stressful. Children with autism often become confused or distressed by the change in routine or the increased social activity, and this can be upsetting for the rest of the family. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can reduce the impact of Christmas on your child and your family. This guide from the National Autistic Society provides support to parents and carers.

Check out the their YouTube channel for more great content: http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalAutisticSoc

Dads Space and The World’s Strongest Man™ 2009 Competition

We've got some fantastic T-shirts to give away, enter the competition below for your chance to win.

It's time to take the strain as the giants of strength athletics go head to head to be crowned The World’s Strongest Man™ 2009. Tune into Bravo for all the action from the 2009 Finals in Maltaplus behind the scenes features, documentaries and highlights of classic Worlds Strongest Man competitions featuring legendary athletes including Geoff Capes and Jon Pall Sigmarsson. You can find the full TV schedule at:

http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/

The World’s Strongest Man™ has also launched a great new range of official merchandise including men’s, women’s and children’s t-shirts, hoodies, polo shirts and caps. Check out www.theworldsstrongestman.com to see the full range.



The competition closes on 31st December so get your answers in now.

Please make sure you read the competition terms and conditions on the main site. By entering the competition you are automatically added to our newsletter mailing list.

Our competitions are also listed at Loquax, The Prize Finder - UK Competitions, Compaholics, Competitions List, and CrazyCompers. Click these links to find more great competitions!

Are you a Dad-to-be in a new relationship?

Special Edition Films is making a BBC THREE documentary about love and relationships.
We are looking for couples who are pregnant early on in their relationship and are staying together to start a family. Perhaps you didn’t expect to be a dad so soon but you are taking on the challenge and sticking by your partner.

If you are interested in sharing your story, please do get in touch asap, for a no obligation chat.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Contact:
Ally Roberts
07967 492066
specialeditionfilms@gmail.com

iphone x Picture Book

Hi all,

We have just stumbled across this really nice simple integration

of an iPhone applications and a regualar kids book.

This video shows how, by slipping an iPhone into the center of a

specially designed picture book the child's experience is enhanced and

they are able to interact with the story and its characters.

I personally like the challenge to avoid planets and asteroids in the

spaceship.

If anyone has used this app to play with their children or have any ideas we would really like

to hear about how you think this could be applied or improved...

Post you and your kids ideas on our Facebook discussion page which can

be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=133566305115&topic=13486

Teenage drinking - help resources for parents

Teenagers are often given bad press and images of hooded teens charged on alcopops are a common sight in the media. This is definitely not representational of today's youth but there's no question that there are issues around teenage drinking. Some recent research by Drinkaware highlights some reavealing statistics:

• 63% of 16-17 year olds who drink alcohol admit they do so most frequently in their own home
• Almost half of young people (47%*) drink alcohol at least once a week with 60% seeing this as a normal part of socialising and being young
  

The fact that drinking takes place at home means that parents have a greater role in these issues then some might imagine. In response to their findings Drinkaware have launched a new section on their website specifically aimed at parents.

www.drinkaware.co.uk/parents offers tips for how parents can broach the issue of alcohol with young people, when it’s a good time to talk to your kids and safety measures that can be put in place if your child is drinking. Details about legislation and government advice can also be found on the site as well as a directory of other useful resources.