September 2023

Smartphone apps let teens go online, watch videos, and gaming with friends, but teens most commonly use their phones to send and receive text messages. Teens receive voice calls from their closest friends and prefer to use text messages for newer friends and acquaintances. The omnipresence of smartphones helps strengthen friendships, with 62% of smartphone-owning teens reporting that texting allows them to keep in closer contact with close friends. Additionally, having internet access via a smartphone may help teens make and maintain new friendships, with 57% reporting having made new friends online.

Learn more about Internet Safety

There are nearly 1 in 36 children in the United States who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups and is four times more common among boys than among girls (CDC, 2023).

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Even though we are moving into FALL, we feel a renewed energy here at PCAIN. The crispness in the air, the cool breeze of today (not every day), the new school year and football season are all around us.

We want to put a few “alerts” out there:

Be careful with the kids at the school bus stops, and especially as the RED ARM on the buses = means STOP! In Indiana, it is illegal for drivers to pass a school bus while dropping off or picking up passengers, regardless of the direction of approach. This applies to all roads, with one exception: motorists who are on a highway that is divided by a barrier, such as a cable barrier, concrete wall or grassy median, are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.

Being aware of older kids staying alone in the late afternoon is another issue. They may need supervision. After school hours, when kids may not be supervised, are statistically the hours they may get into “trouble.” Be certain kids know who to reach out to if they need backup. These hours are great for homework, extracurricular activities or being on the internet.

Presently, we at PCAIN are researching programs to provide Internet Safety training. There may be a class you can schedule for your group soon.

Please consider getting involved with a local child abuse prevention council in your area. The link to the PCAIN website “Find Your Council” button. This will take you to a map of Indiana, which has the symbol of a pinwheel in every county that has an active child abuse prevention council. Click on the pinwheel in your county to find out more information about that council, their contact information, where and when they meet. If there is not a council in your area, fill out the Contact Us form at the bottom of the Find Your Council page.

Enjoy your Fall and keep us in mind for any classes we can provide. Keep the energy going to protect our youth!

September is National Kinship Care Month!

Kinship Care is so important to many children across Indiana and the country. To celebrate the Department of Child Services is once again doing a feature on kinship care families from The Villages/PCAIN. We are so grateful for the continued effort to highlight these families and the importance of supporting them. Here is a glimpse of the Kinnick and Jones family kinship stories. We appreciate both families for being a part of The Villages’ Family Connection Program.

Dave and Debbie Kinnick, both retired, have been caregivers to their three grandchildren for twelve years now.

While being interviewed Debbie explained how she and Dave were living “kid free” life but got a call twelve years ago that forever changed their lives. She was awakened by a call from The Indiana Department of Child Services explaining to her that her adult daughter had just given birth to a premature baby girl who tested positive for drugs. Debbie said she recalls being told if she and Dave did not get to the hospital right away, their nine- and five-year-old grandsons would be placed in foster care. Debbie said she and Dave rushed to the hospital, met with a case worker, and before they knew it, they were leaving the hospital with their two grandsons. Six months later the newborn girl was released from the hospital and placed with Dave and Debbie.

Their oldest grandson is now 21-year-old and lives on his own, next is their 17-year-old grandson who is a junior in high school, and their now 12-year-old granddaughter who loves to play soccer.

Debbie and Dave both agreed that this is not an easy journey, but they would do it all over again if necessary. We thank Debbie and Dave for being a part of The Villages’ Family Connection Kinship program for over 10 years!

Norman and Diana Jones became caregivers to their grandson, who is now 15 years old, when he was an infant. Diana recalls getting a call, while at work, from the Indiana Department of Child Services and being told that her son and his girlfriend had a baby boy who had tested positive for drugs. Diana said she left work to rush home because DCS were on their way to speak with herself and her husband Norman. Diana said they agreed to care for their grandson so he would not be placed in foster care.

Dave said, “I could not imagine letting family go into the system. You are supposed to love and look after family so that is why we said “yes.” Diana recalls calling friends because she did not know how to mix the baby formula or what size diapers to buy. Diana met a lady at the library who knew about The Villages’ Family Connection program and suggested she give them a call for support, so she did. Diana said, “Making that call changed my life. I remember going to the support groups and not feeling alone. There were other grandparents going through the same challenges as us, so we no longer felt alone.

Norman is retired but Diana is not, so they travel thirty-two miles each month to attend the support groups. Dave said he enjoys the support groups to socialize, learn, and have an enjoyable time with other families like him. We thank Norman and Diana for being a part of The Villages’ Family Connection Kinship program for over 14 years!

An article from the July 2023 Psychology Today publication by Carl E. Pickhardt Ph.D., entitled “Parenting Adolescents and Dancing with Differences,” discusses ideas for parents having to learn new steps to navigate changes in their teenager.

People are different from each other; no news there. So what’s the problem?

Simply this; while shared similarities in relationships can make it easier to find comfortable common ground, human differences can make it harder for people to get along. For example, consider the contrast between parenting a child and parenting an adolescent.

until September 26th.

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana

A Division of The Villages of Indiana

317-775-6500

www.pcain.org