Healthy Families Franklin-Wakulla-Gulf

06/12/2026

Reading tips by age from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

This is gonna be a busy & FUN week here at Hope Park!! There will be a mini-camp Wed, Thurs & Fri mornings from 9:30-11:00, then Sat from 2-5 is our Summer Blast Water Day!

NO PRE-REGISTRATION NECESSARY, however, please provide parent/guardian name & emergency contact phone number!!

See the flier below for more details on the Summer Day Camp!

06/06/2026

🇺🇸 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚'𝐬 𝟐𝟓𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚'𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭! 🇺🇸

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 • 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏
Celebrate Independence Day bayside at the Eastpoint Freedom Festival hosted by the Eastpoint Civic Association. Beginning around 6 p.m. at the Patton Street Boat Ramp, the festival features live music, local food trucks, family-friendly fun, and a laid-back community atmosphere along the waterfront. As the evening winds down, gather along the Bay for a fireworks display.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 • 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐
Kick off the celebration in Carrabelle with the community's annual Independence Day fireworks display along the beautiful Carrabelle River. Arrive early to browse the town's unique shops, enjoy dinner at one of Carrabelle's locally owned restaurants, and discover the charm of this historic fishing community before gathering along the waterfront for an evening fireworks show over the river.

𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚 • 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑
Historic Apalachicola comes alive with patriotic spirit during its annual Waterfront July 3rd Celebration at Riverfront Park hosted by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center. Enjoy live music, food vendors, and family-friendly fun beginning at 5 p.m., then join the beloved Red, White & Blue Parade. Bring your decorated golf cart, bicycle, wagon, skateboard, or simply walk along in your red, white, and blue. Parade participants should line up at 6:00 p.m. at Lafayette Park, with the parade stepping off at 6:30 p.m. The evening concludes with a spectacular fireworks display over the Apalachicola River.

𝐒𝐭. 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 • 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟒
The legendary SGI 4th Of July Wet n Wild Water Parade returns for one of the most unique Independence Day traditions on the coast. Decorate your golf cart, float, bike, vehicle, or walking group and prepare for a patriotic water fight unlike any other. Expect plenty of water, lots of laughter, and small-town Fourth of July fun before ending the day with fireworks over the Gulf.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we invite you to celebrate with us! From July 1 through July 4, communities across Florida's Forgotten Coast will be filled with patriotic spirit, waterfront fireworks, hometown traditions, and plenty of red, white, and blue! 🇺🇸

06/05/2026

This quote stops me every single time I read it… because it challenges the most deeply ingrained parenting instinct most of us were raised with.

We were taught that bad behavior deserved a withdrawal of love. That if a child acted out, was rude, had a meltdown, or pushed us away, the response was distance, punishment, or silence. Love was the reward for good behavior, not the response to hard moments.

But that’s not how healthy attachment works, and it’s not how children’s brains work either.

When a child is in their worst moment, their nervous system is dysregulated; their brain is flooded with cortisol and they have literally lost access to the rational, reasoning part of their mind. In that moment they are not giving you a hard time; they are IN a hard time, and their brain is desperately searching for one thing: safety.

✨ Your presence IS that safety. ✨

When we respond to their hardest moments with love instead of withdrawal, we’re not rewarding bad behavior… We’re teaching their nervous system that they are safe, that connection doesn’t disappear when they struggle, and that they never have to earn their way back to you.

That becomes the foundation they build everything else on.

So the next time your child is in one of those moments, the angry ones, the inconvenient ones, the ones that test every last bit of your patience, remember: that is not the moment to pull back; it’s the moment they need you most. 💜