I've gained practical conversational skills through this interactive education.

The weekly homework and role-playing in this workshop have been huge for building conversational skills with my kids. It's one thing to read about these topics, but practicing how to answer their questions as they come up is what really helps.

Recently, my daughter asked how Elvis died, and because of this class, I was able to move past the nebulous school explanation and have a real conversation about the difficulty of addiction.

The visual tools Denise uses are incredibly helpful, like "The New Drug Talk" on fentanyl and how kids who aren't even drug users have died because they purchased what they thought was a legitimate pain pill on the internet, and it was fake, and they didn't know one pill can kill.

My kids are becoming more conversational because they know home is a safe space where they won't be shut down for asking weird questions.

I've overcome the fear of talking about substances with my kids.

I'm the father of two daughters, and I'll be honest, as a dad, I can joke around about most things, but when it comes to serious topics like drugs and safety with my girls, it is difficult. This workshop has given me the confidence to just "go with it." Before, I would say, "Oh, go talk to your mother because she's better at explaining this," but now I feel equipped to handle these conversations myself.

The most impactful part for me, I mean, everything has been impactful, but what hit me the hardest was a simple, unnarrated video of a wingless bird discovering drugs. It demonstrated in a very clear and powerful way how innocently addiction can happen, and why it's so hard to stop.

Being in these sessions has helped me gain the confidence to create a safe space at home where my kids feel comfortable asking me anything.

I like the accountability and being able to now recognize "organic" teaching moments.

One of the things I appreciate about this workshop is the accountability. Meeting regularly "forced" me to have a conversation now rather than kicking the can down the road. It is now easier to work these topics into everyday life organically.

For example, we were just talking about video games, and I was able to steer the conversation into a broader discussion on dopamine and how substances affect our brains. This class has helped me see these "red cars" - those opportunities that have always been there but I just wasn't paying attention to.

I would definitely recommend this to other parents. It's not about being a bad parent or having bad kids if you think you need to talk with them about drugs. It's about being a proactive parent and mitigating the risk that one day your child might accidentally overdose.  To me, it's no different than paying for my kids to learn how to swim in order to mitigate the risk of drowning. 

She's not waking us up in the middle of the night anymore!

Before Denise's workshop, my 10-year-old would get hysterical whenever anyone started coughing. She'd seen a friend get sick a few times, and it always started with a cough, so now any cough would send her into a panic, even waking us up at night when her sister coughed.

When Denise explained how our brain's alarm system works and that kids' brains aren't fully developed to handle emotional triggers yet, it finally made sense. But the best part was learning that we could actually help our daughter train her brain to respond differently. Denise suggested helping our daughter create something to tell herself when she hears a cough, so instead of the trigger controlling her, she could control the trigger.

My daughter and I talked through it together, and I showed her the picture of the brain Denise gave us. My daughter came up with her own response, and now, when someone coughs, we see her quietly talking to herself instead of panicking. It's been such a relief for our whole family.

We had no idea!

After just meeting Denise and learning about 4-Youth’s mission, I shared what I learned with my wife. My teenage son happened to overhear our conversation, and simply hearing what Denise taught me opened the door for him to share his own experiences. We were shocked to learn how close these issues were to him, and we had no idea. None of this would have happened without meeting Denise. Talk to Denise, and then talk to your kids!