Parenting In The Teen Zone

Attention parents of middle or high school students! Do not give up hope. You are not alone if:

l You think Rosemary’s Baby has arrived at your home.

l You are convinced that an alien being has taken over your child’s body.

l You wonder where that nice, calm, communicative teen went.

l You often hear, “But you’re the only parents who won’t let me… What time did you say I had to be in? You are trying to ruin my life!”

Welcome! You have just entered the “Teen Zone.” He or she is still there, just in disguise, perhaps. The St Rose Parish Nurse Ministry is hosting Newtown Youth Services’ “Parenting in the Teen Zone.” NYS will repeat the popular teen version beginning on Monday, April 3. Like its predecessor, this is a five-week session continuing on April 10, 17, 24, and May 1, at 7:30 pm. Cost is $25 per person or $35 per couple. This program is open to the public.

As presentations continue they have become known for their informal, low key, common sense, parent-to-parent approach. Parenting in the Teen Zone evolved as a logical follow-up to the initial Positive Parenting, which targets parents of pre-school through elementary children. NYS received inquiries about a “teen” based series; therefore “Teen Zone” was conceived.

Roseanne Loring, NYS’s Program and Parent Education Coordinator, will facilitate the teen series. Mrs Loring is a Positive Parenting trainer and teacher. Long active in community and PTA functions, Mrs Loring is a former teacher with experience on all three educational levels, and she is a parishioner and cantor at St Rose church. The mother of two sons, Gribbin and Ryan, ages 23 and 20, she has firsthand experience dealing with teenagers, and has lived to tell about it.

This five-week parenting program deals with the ups and downs, ins and outs, right and wrongs, and dos and don’ts of “Parenting in the Teen Zone.” Discussions will focus on the world of teens or almost-teens.

Parents will be asked, in “Welcome to the Teen Zone,” the first session, to think back to when they were thirteen. Though many situations and aspects of teen life will be different, the similarities may surprise you. We will have entered the world of teens and deal with issues of importance to our teens and the entire family unit. “Adolescence: Raising Dr Jeckyl or Ms Hyde,” “Confrontations, Choices, and Consequences,” “Sex, Substance, and the Sounds of Music,” and “We Made It!” are the additional subject areas to be covered.

The goal of “Teen Zone” is to learn what may be ahead for your teens, gather tips on how you can help them, and learn that you are not the only one with questions or concerns. Keep in mind that you do not want to check your sense of humor at the door (there are times when it will come in handy), and always, always remember it’s never too late to hug your kids.

To register for “Teen Zone,” please call Newtown Youth Services at 270-4335.