Workshops for Parents

Do schools give too much homework? Are kids just procrastinating more? The questions that arise around the issue of homework are many. This workshop offers practical solutions to the dilemma of achieving a state of equilibrium between the school, the parent and the child. When all three work together as a team, the child benefits tremendously. Homework, in the end, will be seen as an opportunity to teach children about life, and to help them develop the traits and qualities that will allow them to thrive as adults.

Do Screens Make You Scream?

Are Boys Aggressive and Girls Mean?

If battling your child at bedtime has you blue, we'll put you in the pink. We'll discuss children who don't want to stay in bed, who get out of the bed during the night, and who express fear in conjunction with bedtime. We have an extremely high success rate in getting kids to sleep (at a reasonable hour, and through the night!) from 8 months old on so you won't want to miss this one!

Early on, children discover a tone of voice that raises the hairs on the back of the best parents' necks. Yet despite reminding, cajoling, ignoring, and even disciplining, the habit of whining seems to persist. This workshop will examine why children whine, how it actually serves their needs and gets them what they want, and how parents can break children of this annoying habit. No theory here, just practical skills that all parents need.

Do you blush at the thought of teaching your child about sexuality? Do you believe that you have time to wait until their older? Are you prepared to answer your children when they ask tough questions? What about if they don't ask??? It has been proven that parents are the most effective teachers for children to learn about intimacy, love and sexuality. In fact, studies show that children want to learn this information from their parents, that it can actually decrease the amount of sexual activity and promote more responsible sexual behavior.

Many parents express intense concern over the way their children treat and are treated by friends. From "my child's so bossy, I'm worried that she'll never have any friends," to "my child doesnt stand up for himself, he always does what his friends want," and including "my child came home crying because his friends wouldn't let him join the soccer game," children's social lives, the form that they take, and the way in which they develop often worry parents.

What’s a parent to do when their 10-to-14 year old gets an attitude, rolls their eyes, and slams doors? The middle school years can be a minefield for kids and parents. This workshop provides specific strategies for parents of 5th to 8th graders to set limits and talk to their kids about peer pressure, raging hormones, mood swings, body image, computer “addiction,” sibling rivalry, and other prickly issues. Julie Ross' field-tested techniques help parents shift from a "controlling" to a "relationship" approach--proving that it is possible to hug a porcupine, once you know how.