Parent Notes on Dr. Kastners Calm Parenting presentation at Glenbard West, 7pm HERE (pdf)
Laura Kastner’s web site HERE
Parent Map web site HERE
Getting to Calm: Cool-headed strategies for raising independent 3- to 7- year olds, 9:30 – Marquardt Administration Center
After the baby years, parenting can really get complicated. Discipline becomes an important aspect of parenting, because children need to learn to cooperate with routines, rules and reasonable behavioral expectati ons. Balancing this agenda with the all-important goal of maintaining a loving, reliable and affectionate bond can be challenging when it feels li
ke kids are pushing limits almost all the time.
This presentation will review the evidence base for utilizing positive discipline strategies, while also promoting the tenets of mindful parenting and importance of understanding your child’s developmental stage and temperament. Furthermore, parents will be encouraged to trust their instincts and prioritize self-care.
Getting
to Calm: Cool Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens, 12pm noon – Marquardt Administration Center
The rudeness, defiance and impulsive risk-taking of adolescence are nothing new. What is new is the science of why and the optimal strategies for management. Brain-imaging studies have documented how the thinking part of the brain is literally “under construction” during the teen years. Along with hormonal changes, brain re-modeling helps to explain both the high vulnerability and the high potential for competency-building. What are the parenting skills that tip the balance away from risk and toward positive maturation and success? Research on this question will be presented. Families faring the best are not without their problems with this aged child, but they manage the challenges more effectively when they develop tools for navigating the rocky times.
Calm Parenting for Tough Teen Topics: Healthy Relationships, Substance Use, Media Management and Worry, 7:00pm – Glenbard West
Today’s parents face unique challenges. Screen invasion has radically changed family lives. While technology has produced large benefits for society, it has also introduced myriad problems which include divided attention, sleep difficulties, and endless family fights about media overuse. Another concern for families is the level of stress for kids today and its role in increasing mental health problems like depression, anxiety and substance use risks during adolescence.
All parents want to help their children develop into happy, healthy and successful young adults, but encouraging academic and athletic achievement will no longer suffice. Parents have a vital role in the modeling and nurturing of emotional and social competencies so that teens develop resilience and skills for coping with the unique stressors of modern life. With an emphasis on developing a strong parent-child bond, parenting recommendations will be based on evidence based research. A bonus in taking on tough teen challenges is that what is good for raising successful teens is good for the entire family’s health habits—prioritizing relationships, making time for screen-less R & R, and enhancing emotional intelligence.
