The Boys and Girls Club of Victoria knows the value of positive parenting.
To that end, the organization is hosting its next series of group sessions designed to help parents build a loving and respectful relationship with their children.
The next 10-week program on the West Shore is called Parenting without Power Struggles and is aimed at the parents of pre-teens (age eight to 13). The first session runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 6 and registration is still being accepted.
The program is operated in a group support style and encourages parents to build on their family strengths and learn practical ideas for helping their pre-teen transition to what can be a difficult time. A key is the ability for parents to check in and hear from peers who are experiencing similar challenges.
Focusing on issues of brain development, communication, self-care and empathy (to name only a few areas of emphasis), the programs are professionally-led and accessible to any parent, regardless of financial situation.
Parenting Program facilitator Miriam Miller said people typically get involved in the programs through self-referral – that is, they are looking for strategies and peer support as they enter what can be unchartered territory. Yet, she added, not everyone who signs up is a new parent.
“Some have come to us through adoptions,” she explained, “or others are on their second kids. They just feel they need to learn new ways of dealing, ways of talking to their teens and how they can gradually turn over more and more responsibilities to their children.
“It is a really scary position for parents to be in.”
The local program is hosted at the Westshore Children, Youth and Family Centre, 345 Wale Rd. To register, call 250-384-9133 ext 222 or email parentingprograms@bgcvic.org. For more information, visit Boys and Girls Club of Victoria online at bcgvic.org.
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