Afghanistan captivated the eyes of the world in August 2021. To many, the images of it's citizens fleeing, of mother's handing their children to U.S. service members, impacted them on a deeply personal level. Joining us today to talk about Afghanistan is the Executive Director of Women For Afghan Women- Najia Nasim.

Najia is from Afghanistan and offers valuable insight into not only the history of Afghanistan, but also helps to answer that question asked by so many of us during that time... "How can we/I help?" 

We look forward to sharing her story, and the story of Women For Afghan Women (WAW), with all of you. Please take a moment to visit the WAW website (listed below) for more valuable information.

Website: https://womenforafghanwomen.org 

Human Trafficking is one of the biggest problems facing the world today and is regarded by many as modern day slavery. Of the estimated 40.3 million trafficked persons around the world, about 1 out of every 4 of those are children. Human Trafficking consists of forced labor/commercial sex acts and is considered the third most profitable business for organized crime. 

Of those 40.3 million, around 2 million of those are children forced into child sex trafficking. Human Trafficking can be seen in all nations and has no limits for age, sex, race, religion, etc. While the topic is a very difficult one to discuss, it is important that we educate ourselves as parents to not only know the signs of Human Trafficking (and what to do about it) but that we're given the tools on how we can talk with our children about it. 

Joining us for this incredibly important episode is the Assistant Director of Donor Relations for Operation Underground Railroad- Hayden Paul.  O.U.R. is a dedicated nonprofit organization aimed at ending child slavery around the globe. Founded by Tim Ballard (a former special agent for the  Department of Homeland Security) O.U.R. is operated by many highly skilled individuals with backgrounds in special forces, law enforcement and other specialized areas. 

This episode is tailored specifically for parents and will cover both the basic background information of Human Trafficking and O.U.R. We will also go into more detail about how you can become involved in the fight to end this form of modern day slavery and how you can help to keep all children safe (not just our own.) Together we can all take a stand. The first step is taking the time to listen and educate ourselves. 

For more information, and to reference statistics and resources mentioned in the podcast, please follow the links provided below. 

1. O.U.R. official website: https://ourrescue.org/

2. O.U.R. fact sheet: https://ourrescue.org/files/158516120668f4de43b39212f4b2455240b4ae78d6.pdf

3. "A Parent's Guide to Instagram": https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/154475974694511/?helpref=hc_fnav&bc[0]=Instagram%20Help&bc[1]=Privacy%20and%20Safety%20Center

4. U.S. Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888

5. Internet Crimes Against Children, Task Force Program: https://www.icactaskforce.org/

6. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: https://www.missingkids.org/HOME

7. O.U.R. Documentary: Operation Toussaint (available on O.U.R.'s site and Amazon)

8.  What is Sextortion? FBI video: https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-what-is-sextortion/view

Our first show of season 2 is focused on all things about what it means to be a mom while serving in the U.S. military. The ladies of Drinking Mommies (Whitney, Katy and Amber) are joined by a special guest speaker from the Service Women's Action network (SWAN)- Martina Chesonis. 

Martina is the Director of Communications for SWAN and is currently serving as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Her years of military experience (7 years on active duty), to being in the reserves today, gives incredible insight into what it means to balance military service and motherhood.

The topics we cover includes parent specific information surrounding reproductive healthcare services, paternal leave, breastfeeding and childcare. To more female specific topics such as the opening of all jobs to women in the service and the history of women in uniform. We'll also cover the topic of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military as it pertains to both women and men.

Resources available: 

The Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) website: Service Women's Action Network 

Catch a Serial Offender (CATCH) Program: Catch a Serial Offender (CATCH) Program | SAPR

Military Justice Improvement Act: Text - S.1789 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Military Justice Improvement Act of 2019 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Childcare Aware: Home - Child Care Aware® of America

September 6th-12th is National Suicide Prevention Week in the United States. To honor all those impacted by suicide we, at Drinking Mommies, wanted to have a show aimed at educating parents on this very important topic. Drinking Mommies founder (Whitney Lindsay) is joined by DM co-host Amber Story and special guest Jayne Whisnant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP.) 

The show will cover some basic background information into the history and mission of AFSP. We'll then go into some statistics behind suicide, and suicidal attempts, within the United States before going into the main topic(s) of the show- suicide education/prevention.  Jayne will discuss how parents can talk with their children about suicide, signs to look out for, stereotypes to avoid, and resources available. 

We hope that this show opens up a conversation nationwide and can help give parents some of the tools they might need to navigate the topic of suicide. As with all of our shows, we encourage our audience to share their thoughts/opinions with us. If you have any additional resources, or personal stories you would like to share in relation to this topic, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through one of our social media pages/official website at Drinking Mommies.

**If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call 1-800-273-8255(TALK) or text TALK to 741-741 and a trained counselor will be on the other line. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Text Line are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” Also just as an FYI for the crisis lines, you don’t have to be the person in distress to call. If you are concerned about someone and not sure how to handle the situation you can call/text for help.**

Resources and references

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Text Line: 1-800-273-8255(TALK) or text TALK to 741-741

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Website: https://afsp.org/

"More Than Sad" educational videos: https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/more-sad-suicide-prevention-education-teachers-and-other-school-personnel

Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

Signs Matter: https://afsp.org/signs-matter-early-detection

This week, Drinking Mommies hosts Whitney Lindsay, and Caitlin Davis, take a look at how to talk with children about firearms. Joining them is special guest Robyn Sandoval who is the co-owner of A Girl & A Gun Women's Shooting League, serves on the Board of Directors for the D.C. Project and is the Managing Editor of Women & Guns magazine. 

The topic of children and firearms can seem uncomfortable to some, but as a parent it is incredibly important that we teach our children how to act around them in a safe manner and what to do in situations where we aren't with them. Robyn also talks gun safety for adults, gives some thought provoking insights about how to keep your family safe in various situations, and ways women can become involved with A Girl & A Gun.

This show was designed to answer questions and provide important information that everyone (whose comfortable with guns, worried about guns, don't know about guns, or those who are unsure where they stand) can learn from. You don't want to miss this episode and the chance to join in on the conversation.

A Girl & A Gun website: https://www.agirlandagun.org/

Additional sources mentioned in the podcast

Armed Guardian: http://www.armedguardian.com/

Steel Challenge: https://scsa.org/

U.S. & Texas Law Shield: https://www.uslawshield.com/

Drinking Mommies founder (Whitney) is joined by co-hosts Amber, and Nicole, to discuss family time and living life outdoors. The ladies start the conversation by going over 5 brief statistics from a Sanford Health Study as to why it's important to get kids outdoors. 

From there, each gives some personal insight into how our summers look for our own families with a little humor, wine and truth telling. The ladies finish the show by providing valuable information, resources and tools to help even the most homebody family prepare to spend more time outside!

**Recommended phone apps** 

1. AllTrails (provides details on all local hikes with the most current information from fellow hikers like you!)

2. HipCamp (provides information on camping sites from public land to glamping!)

3. SkyView (provides stargazing information right from your phone!)

For this weeks Podcast, Drinking Mommies Whitney, Amber and Cait are joined by Melissa "aka Wissa" for a special interview. As a mother of two, military spouse, small business owner,  and a former foster mom, Wissa has spent her entire life helping others and caring for her family. 

When Wissa and her husband decided that they wanted to open their loving home to adopt, that's when they were introduced to a pregnant mother who was looking to privately adopt out her unborn child(ren). What happens next over the course of several months turns into an outrageous story of lies, fraud and heartbreak. We are grateful to Wissa for sharing her story with us.

**Drinking Mommies is looking to do a future Podcast on both positive adoption experiences, and how to improve the adoption system, at a future date. If you have a personal story you wish to share on your adoption experience (either domestically or internationally) we would love to hear from you!** 

April was sexual assault awareness month, but that doesn't mean this important topic should be confined to a single month. Even though sexual assault has been addressed more in recent years with movements like "me too" and high profile court cases, we seldom hear about sexual assault/sexual abuse through the lens of parenthood. 

During this episode Drinking Mommies hosts Whitney, Caitlin and Amber go into a deep conversation about their own stories of survival and close calls. For other survivors, their stories might be a trigger for your own past experiences so please listen with caution. 

The show will also talk about how parents can speak with their children about sexual assault/sexual abuse and resources available to you (we've attached several resources in the United States to the bottom of this description.) 

If you are the victim of sexual assault/sexual abuse, you are not alone. If there is anything any member of the Drinking Mommies staff can do to help we are always here to listen and do everything with our power to assist. For immediate emergencies call 911 and seek help from a professional.

Resources:

National Sexual Abuse Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network)

www.rainn.org

Drinking Mommies Whitney, Nicole and Amber have an open conversation about the current state of school closures, the challenges we face as parents continuing our children's education, and why some parents are choosing to home school instead of returning their children to the public schools. 

Each mom brings a unique perspective, because each resides in a different state (Alabama, California and Texas) and come with varied experiences (both good/bad) to draw from. Holding nothing back, there are hard truths and realities that are addressed within the podcast- such as child abuse, parental rights and personal accountability. 

Please join the conversation by sharing your own thoughts and opinions. Every mom deserves to be part of the conversation and the moms of Drinking Mommies would love to hear from you!

Drinking Mommies Whitney and Amber talk about life at home during this time of social distancing and how they're surviving. Even with great advancements in technology, there are still many challenges we face while staying at home with our families. We talk about food shortages, stockpiling, homeschooling and staying busy with some useful tips and real life talk guaranteed to bring some laughs! So sit back and enjoy a glass (or two) of wine while listening to our show! 

If you have anything else you'd like to add to the conversation, please feel free to share in the comments! We'd love to hear from you!