By Staff Writer Lynn Arbid

KidsMatter! has produced a new initiative, Parents Matter Too!, according to the NNHS homepage .

Parents Matter Too! provides parents with advice and support on how to communicate and guide their child through family issues, said NNHS Healthy Huskie Leader and Nurse Pam Seubold.

“Parents know their kids best so we felt that if we empowered and connected parents, it would really make a difference,” Seubold said.

According to Seubold, this initiative offers parents a quick and easy way to gain insight on family issues that many are/may be facing in our community such as competition, cybercrime, bullying, over-involvement, addiction, and more.

The website provides parent conversation circles, expert advice, and information on helpful speakers, according to the Parents Matter Too! website.

The curriculum of the site is based on teaching parents three main concepts: being an effective parent, communicating with their child, and learning how to be the parent they want to be.

According to Seubold, this was created in response to concerns regarding the deaths of eight young Naperville teenagers last year due to heroin usage.

The hope is that Parents Matter Too! will empower parents and teach them how to discuss important topics with their children in effort to prevent children from making negative decisions.

“What we ultimately hope happens is that families become strengthened by talking with other parents [by] discussing issues that are arising,” Seubold said.

In an emailed statement to the North Star, NNHS parent and Home and School President Dee Dauber said she fully supports the new initiative.

“It’s great to have parenting advice specific to a District 203 family’s needs just a click away, and the advice relates directly to issues families in our community specifically might face,” Dauber said.

The Parents Matter Too! website can be accessed here and conversation circles will begin in January 2014.