This is a true story: She was sitting in her home of 40 years watching TV. It was evening and just her and her puppy. She is a widower in her late 60s, a proud mother and grandmother. She is an incredible, accomplished, independent woman who had a productive career in Houston. But as she got up to go to her bedroom, she realized the unthinkable had just happened, while she sat just a few feet away.

Her eyes were first drawn to the jewelry on the floor in the hallway; she then glanced at the sliding door in the family room – it was ajar; as she peered into her bedroom, it was in complete disarray. She never imagined this would happen, but it did.

A frantic call to 911 and police were there within minutes. Two men had gained entry into her home and stole over $50,000 in fine jewelry and purses from her bedroom. Thankfully, she did not interface with them. Sadly, she will not see those pieces again, pieces her late husband purchased for her to mark milestones in their lives.

According to Neighborhoodscout.com (an online platform that reviews crime stats from the FBI and 18,000 local law enforcement agencies), Houston has one of the highest crime rates in America. Your chance of becoming a victim of either property or violent crime is 1 in 17. Nationally, there is a home intrusion committed every 13 seconds with 2.5 million home intrusions committed each year.

While the statistics are important to understand, most of us will live our entire lives without an incident like this ever happening.  That said, are you resting on luck or critical crime prevention education? I’d prefer to rest my hat on the latter. Grab a cup of coffee, a pen and paper and spend a few minutes answering this two part quiz for insights that I hope will be informative.

If you answer YES to any of these questions, you are DECREASING your risk for a break-in or home invasion. 

1. Do you know that thieves can purchase items called “bump keys” that allow them to gain entry into your home? Have you made sure your doors have “bump proof locks” installed? (Hint: A quick look on Amazon.com shows these sell from anywhere from $30 to $100).
2. Do you keep all doors and windows locked when you are home?
3. Do you have an alarm installed and do you set it to “stay” even when you are home?
4. Do you know your home owners policy? Have you taken pictures of everything you have – jewelry, expenses purses and more? (Hint: You’ll need this to assist with your insurance claims.) 
5. Do you only answer the door if you know the person knocking on the other side?
6. Have you thought of ways to make forced entry into your home difficult including making sure doors are difficult to kick open?
7. Do you leave your garage door closed throughout the day?
8. When you come into your home from work, walking the dog, or pulling in groceries, do you pay careful attention to your surroundings and make sure no one is nearby when you re-enter your home?

Now answer these questions… 

If you answer YES to any of these questions, you are INCREASING your risk for a break-in or home invasion:

1. Do you have substantial cash hidden at home?
2. Do you have large amounts of either prescription drugs or illegal drugs stored at home?
3. Do you post a lot of photos of your closet or luxury items on social media?
4. Do you have a lot of expensive electronics?
5. Do you have an open floor plan with many windows and not a lot of window coverings?
6. Are you vocal about your collection of valuables?

In all honesty, my personal feeling is that I should be able to buy what I want, decorate my house the way I want, share what I want online and live in complete freedom when it comes to my home and my personal space. That’s what I want for each of us. That said, I cherish my home and family and every item in it so I’m willing to take the time and extra steps to safeguard it all.

Share with others who may be interested in taking these quizzes and together. Let’s make our homes and families our priority.

July 4th is a time to build memories, to hug those you love, to be thankful to those who serve and to think about what you will do with all the blessings and gifts you have. As you enjoy the weekend, we sincerely urge you to remember a few key points that are critical to keep you and your family safe.

1. Fireworks. Here’s what you need to know in a nutshell. The possession and use of fireworks isn’t illegal in the State of Texas but it is within Houston City Limits and many other neighboring areas. In rural parts of the country, firework possession and use may be legal but the Texas Occupations Code strictly prevents firework explosions within 600 feet of a church, hospital, school or child care facility.
2. Kids and Fireworks. Interestingly enough, the law states that children under the age of 16 cannot purchase fireworks; that being said, the law does not give an exact age that it is permissible for kids to use fireworks. Parents, this is where you must use your best judgement to decide what’s right for you and your child. You know that regardless of best intentions, you remain liable for any risks or damages. Beyond any of that, your child risks getting minor burns or even facing serious trauma.
3. Sparklers. Technically, sparklers are legally allowed in the State of Texas. Sparklers burn at 1800 degrees (compare: matches burn at 500 degrees) and sparks fly as kids run and watch the lights pop and shine. Parents, if you are to allow the use of sparklers, we recommend a heightened sense of supervision.
4. The Most Dangerous Holiday of the Year? Yes, that’s right. In 2013, the National Safety Council (NSC) named July 4th “the most dangerous holiday of the year.” According to the NSC, from 6 p.m. on July 3 to midnight on July 4, there were upwards of 200+ traffic fatalities and another 10,600 nonlethal debilitating injuries on the nation’s highways. Fifty percent of those were due to intoxicated drivers. Many of those were also teen drivers. According to the Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), 23 percent of teens admitted to driving after having consumed alcohol, marijuana or other substances. Of those minors who drink and drive, as many of 40 percent said the drinking had no impact on their driving. Statistics certainly paint a different story. Let’s remind teen drivers of these dangers, please. Another conversation is worth it if it saves even one life.
5. Little Swimmers. In a crowded backyard, kids run and play. It’s simply the best. Might we recommend that if you are having a large party that you either hire a life guard or assign someone lifeguard duties? We have heard one too many stories of young children who fall into a pool and drown in the middle of a bustling house filled with guests. The extra step is certainly worth it if it keeps our little ones safe.

As I sit here and share these thoughts with you, I want to sincerely wish each and every one of you a wonderful holiday filled with nothing but happiness, health and safety. I am so thankful to live in a country as wonderful as the United States!

I’ve done many things and had many experiences. Parenting is officially the hardest – by far.

After all, each child has its own package of complexities. They speak their own language, have their own vision, goals, objectives, needs and desires. Add to this the fact that the world we live in comes with a bundle of other things to navigate: their lives online and in school. They need to be social yet ingrained in a “healthy” amount of extra-curricular activities.

Through it all, we strive to teach them good characteristics like showing respect and kindness when dealing with others. We instill in them good citizenry, hopefully creating law-abiding individuals who contribute to the community in which they live. There is a great deal to think about.

With all we have to stay on top of, some parents draw the line when it comes to the law. There is a certain sense of “living in the grey” – we are familiar but not too familiar with what’s allowed or expected. Here are some laws that every parent should know but many simply do not:

1. Truancy Laws: When unexcused absences bring charges

• The Texas Education Code requires children ages 6 to 18 attend school. Truancy, i.e., unexcused absences or missing school without permission, is a legal issue.
• Children cannot have unexcused absences for 10 or more days or parts of days in a six-month period. If they do, the school district must file charges. If your child has absence for three or more days or parts of daysin a four-week period, the school district may file charges.
• Charges can be brought against you, as a parent, for Parent Contributing to Nonattendance or against your child for Failure to Attend school if s/he is 12 years old or older but not yet 18.
• A law enforcement or probation officer may take a truant student into custody until the student can go to court, unless a parent or guardian promises to bring the student to court for the hearing.
• A truant student’s driver’s license can be suspended for up to one year for truancy. This includes suspending the ability to receive a learner’s permit!
• Exempt from truancy laws are children who attend private or parochial school.

2. The new world of bullying

I hope no child ever feels the level of bullying that requires a drastic life change like moving or switching schools. The reality is, it happens. Many parents do not know this but in Texas, you can request a transfer. The Texas Educational Code gives the parents of a bullied child the right to request the transfer of their child to another classroom or another campus within the school district. If the board of trustees verifies the bullying, there is no time limit placed on the transfer. Transportation to the new school, however, is not required, according to the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

3. Homeschooling children

Texas leads the nation statistically in number of children homeschooled. Texas has permitted homeschooling since the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in Leeper v. Arlington ISD (1999). In Leeper, the court decided that home schools are the equivalent of private schools under the Texas Education Code, thus exempting school-aged, home-schooled children from the state’s compulsory school attendance laws. The Leeper decision makes Texas one of the most homeschool friendly states, because the law doesn’t require parents who homeschool their children to register themselves, test their children, get approval for their materials or even count attendance. Additionally, parents who homeschool are not required to have teaching certificates or college degrees.

4. Want to see your child’s school record?

Under the Texas Education Code, parents are entitled to see all written records a school district keeps on their children, including attendance records, test scores, grades, disciplinary action, counseling, psychological testing and teacher and counselor evaluations.

Special exception: Texas Attorney General addressed the question of whether a parent has unrestricted access to a child’s school counseling records. Under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), a public school may withhold a minor child’s counseling records from a parent only if the records are kept in the sole possession of the counselor, are used only as the counselor’s personal memory aid and are not accessible or revealed to any other person. Similarly, state law provides that a licensed mental health practitioner may withhold a minor child’s records only if release of such records would be harmful to the child’s physical, mental or emotional health.

5. Texas is among one of the few states to clarify that parents – not school districts – will have the final say on whether their children take drugs to control behavior. Texas Education Code (Section 38.016) states that it is illegal for school personnel to recommend that a student use a psychotropic drug (such as Ritalin) or to suggest any particular diagnosis. If parents refuse to give their child a psychotropic drug (even after a psychiatric evaluation), the child cannot be kept from attending class or participating in a school-related activity. However, the law does not prohibit a school district employee from recommending that a child be evaluated by an appropriate medical practitioner.

6. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate – do you have a choice? Texas law requires children attending daycare, school and college to be vaccinated against a variety of childhood diseases, ranging from Hepatitis B to chicken pox to polio. However, the state also permits parents to exempt their children from these vaccinations based on reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs or medical conditions.

Recent addition to Texas law: Texas passed new laws in 2013 that allows certain minors to consent to vaccination; new law effective Sept. 1, 2014 that requires child-care facilities to develop and implement a policy concerning vaccination of employees for parents

7. How old do my kids need to be before they can be left home alone?Texas law provides no specific recommendations, according to Department of Family and Protective Services. However, the agency recommends taking several factors into consideration before leaving a child home alone, including the age, emotional maturity and capability of the child; the layout and safety of the home or play area; the child’s ability to respond to an emergency; and whether the child has any mental, physical or medical disabilities.

8. Who pays when kids get out of hand? When dealing with children over 10 but under 18, the Texas Family code holds the parents liable for property damage if the child’s actions were negligent, willful or malicious and reasonably attributable to the parent’s negligence in exercising parental duties. Parents can expect to pay up to $25,000 in damages plus costs related to reasonable attorney fees.

9. Medical treatment and kids. Any minor who is either in the military or 16 years old and living apart from one’s parents may consent to medical treatment. That said, all minors in Texas may consent to medical treatment pertaining to pregnancy, drug, alcohol abuse or infectious diseases.

10. Body piercing and tattoos. It’s actually against the law for a facility to perform a body piercing (excludes pierced ears) and/or tattoo on anyone under the age of 18. Exception occurs when parent or legal guardian has given written consent AND is present during the procedure. A facility may also give your minor child a tattoo if it is done in an effort to cover another tattoo that contains 1) obscene or offensive language or symbols, 2) gang-related names, symbols or markings, 3) drug-related names, symbols or pictures, 4) other words, symbols or markings that the parent, guardian or court would consider in the best interest of the minor to cover.

Like in anything, when there is so much information coming your way, some of it inevitably gets filed in the “need to know only” category. Laws relating to your children often live in that bucket. I understand it but find that with knowledge, liability is easily mitigated. Now we have the information; let’s take a moment to talk about it with our families. I truly believe that education breeds prevention and prevention is an amazing thing to invest in!

Our 10 US Olympic men’s swim team earned 23 medals between them – what an achievement. They are an inspiration for swimmers, young and old, everywhere. Their time in Rio ended on a high note with each looking forward to a bright future in and out of the pool.

But for four swimmers, Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, there is one more chapter to their Olympic story and, no matter how you look at it, it is not positive. We all saw the headlines – Lochte Among Those Robbed at Gunpoint in Rio. The story continued to unfold – Lochte and his teammates were allegedly forced to the ground, a gun at their foreheads, ready to discharge. They survived the incident and, with cameras and lights shining, they shared the horrific ordeal, the injustice of it all and their brave response.

The account was troubling on so many levels. Law enforcement began their investigation, surveillance video surfaced and the swimmers’ story started to change. Footage revealed that our champions may have been destructive and engaged in vandalism. The “robbers” were later identified as two security guards. The demand for money was shown to be a request by those guards that the men pay for the damages committed.

Lochte later apologized for “mispresenting” the facts and accepted responsibility for what happened. I find the whole thing eye opening . . .  even a 12-time Olympic medalist can walk into a legal disaster. While the case in Rio is still under investigation, it got me thinking about the gravity of misrepresenting criminal activity. It happens. Why do people do this? For many reasons, including: to get attention, play a joke, retaliate against someone, make money or, as may have possibly been the case in with the swimmers, to cover their own wrong doing.

Regardless of the reason, the consequences are always significant. A civil suit can be brought against you, criminal charges can be brought against you and fines can be imposed against you.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the case of Lochte and his teammates, three of the four were initially not allowed to leave Rio, their passports held as they were further questioned by law enforcement. So far, two of the swimmers were ordered to pay a fine of $11,000 to a local charity. The swimmers may face discipline from the Olympic committee and their own teams. Additionally, they risk losing lucrative endorsement deals. In the end, and no matter what story you believe, this has tarnished an experience of a lifetime.

These situations are always a lose-lose. Think of the consequence on the others involved: the increased pressure on law enforcement investigating the case and policing the area; the Olympic committee’s rush to formulate a response and assurances; the feeling of disappointment in those men and women who worked hard to build up their city and invest in their homeland; the other athletes who spent even one moment questioning their own safety; and then I think of the alleged criminals who are tasked with exonerating their name and restoring their reputations. For each of these people, precious time, money and resources have been used.

Seeing star athletes perform puts them in a category out of this world . . .  but seeing four Olympic swimmers “mishandle” a story under pressure brings them right back down to earth. This same decision could have been made by me or you or our sons and daughters under pressure. Let’s talk about it. The risks are many and the consequences severe. In true Olympic style, this is an epic reminder not to misrepresent situations to law enforcement. It’s never worth it.

As a kid, I loved going back-to-school. It marked a time of new beginnings filled with new pencils, erasers, books, and clothes. For most, the top concerns revolved around which teacher and what classmates you’d be stuck with from Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Times have changed . . . and the realities of the new world we live in (a world of instant access social media, cyber-schooling, cyber-bullying and more) require tremendous thought. And parents, a lot of it starts with us. This week, I highlight the risks associated with three things many of us do as our kids go back to school. My goal isn’t to get us to stop doing these things, it’s to get us to do them wisely. Let’s take a look.

To Monogram or Not to Monogram.

Monogramming everything was not a “thing” in the ’70s and ’80. In today’s world, kids have their shirts, backpacks, hair bows, sneakers, Yeti cups, keychains and more personalized. And it’s cute! That said, it opens the door for strangers to start conversations with our kids.

Is it okay to monogram? Yes! But think it through.

If possible, stick to initials only.

If using a full name or nickname, simply talk to your children: “Remember, your name is literally written here in plain sight. If a stranger calls you by your name or nickname, it means nothing, other than the fact that s/he read it on your backpack.” This requires that you’re talking to a child old enough to understand the point you’re making, of course. And guess what, when talked about without emotion or fear, it becomes a simple reminder that your kids appreciate.

That Inevitable Back-to-School Social Media Post.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking and seeing those incredibly sweet social media posts: Hi everyone! Billy is ready to conquer 3rd grade! Parents are so proud and love him so much! We love sharing these photos and our close friends and family love seeing them. Just remember other people search social media platforms specifically to gain information on children.

Is it okay to post? Yes! But think it through. This one picture unlocks the door to your child’s world and shares a great deal of information you may not have thought about:

• Your child’s image. Now we all know exactly what s/he looks like.
• Your child’s full name. You gave us the first name and we’ll assume with 90 percent accuracy that the last name is identical to yours.
• Your child’s school. The school uniform and/or colors say it all. If it’s a public school and I know your general area, it won’t take long for someone to figure out which school.
• Your child’s age and grade. And think about this, how many 3rd grade classes are there in your school? Probably not too many to have to sift through.
• Your child’s interests. Backpacks, lunch boxes and folders with characters and/or store names create very specific identifiers that share your child’s interests.

We savvy parents are active online, and it’s great! The reality is, the social networks we have built contain many people we do not know well or even at all. But simple changes can make a big difference. Try posting the photo of your child not in uniform or leaving off first names or grade. It’s not about living in fear, it’s about not giving away all the information at once. Being careful and cautious, especially when it comes to our kids, is always worth it.

Your Car Speaks Volumes.

We live in a city where going from point A to B requires a vehicle and usually a lot of traffic. Some of us are in our cars more than we are in our homes… they are a part of our image and a way to share more information about our families. Every day, I find myself stuck behind a driver who has used an array of bumper stickers to tell me everything there is to know about their child’s accomplishments.

Is it ok to use these types of bumper stickers? Yes! But think it through.

• Caricature stickers that show a mom, dad, two kids (boys, girls or boy and girl) with a dog (there are many different variations) tell people how many kids you have and their gender.
• The school-related and/or interest-related bumper stickers. My daughter is a star cheerleader for INSERT NAME cheer team or My student is an honor roll student at INSERT NAME Middle School or High School. The list of these types of stickers is endless. Furthermore, they provide a wealth of information about your child including gender, relative age, school location and areas of interest, which might be of interest to the wrong person as you cruise all over town.
• And let’s not forget, your car itself gives an idea of your economic status.

Let’s face it, as parents, we could not be prouder of our kids. We put a lot of time and energy into making them who they are and, as a result, we want to highlight and share their milestones and achievements. I really get it and agree it’s wonderful to do. We just ask that you know the facts, talk to your kids and do everything with their safety in mind.