Parenting Challenges

To Yell or Not To Yell: Expressing and Managing Anger

Anger is a normal and unavoidable part of parenting. It can also be one of the most difficult emotions for parents to handle as children can trigger them emotionally and push their buttons. This session helps parents understand typical anger triggers and responses. Strategies for managing their anger in healthy and productive ways are shared, as are appropriate responses for parents to use when their children become frustrated or angry.

Helping Children Adjust to Separation and Divorce

Adjusting to separation and divorce is an ongoing emotional process that affects all family members. For many parents, managing work and family life becomes an enormous struggle as does managing the myriad of changes taking place in all family members’ lives. In addition to the major responsibility of taking care of their children and helping them cope, divorcing parents also need to take care of themselves and to allow for their own adjustment. This series presents guidelines and strategies for communicating with children about difficult issues and helps parents find ways to deal with their own feelings and needs. (4 session series)

How Much Is Enough? Meeting the Challenges of a Must Have Society

A challenge facing today’s parents is raising children in a materialistic society. Regardless of economic standing or cultural background, children are besieged with messages from the popular culture that happiness comes from having the right things. This two session series helps parents clarify and express their values about material possessions. It also offers specific strategies for determining how much is enough, setting appropriate limits on spending, and communicating with children about materialism and media influence. (2 session series)

Taking the Rush Out of Rush Hour: Tips for the Morning and Evening Hours

Life for working parents is characterized by many tasks, many responsibilities, and not enough time or energy to do everything well. Whether a dual worker family or a single parent family, the stress of combining family and employment often manifests itself most intensely in the morning and evening hours when families are making the transition from home to work and from work to home. This workshop helps parents use a problem solving technique to sort out the problem areas of the morning and evening hectic times. Parents learn strategies for making these times of day less stressful for them and their children.