When children struggle with challenging issues, it can have a negative impact on everyone around them in particular the family. Parents know they need to respond, but they often aren’t sure what’s the best strategy. There are many avenues and organisation for parents to seek help with their children and one of these avenues is WAYS is hosting a free five-week parenting seminar that focuses on how to talk to your children about the most common current issues. This course will assist parents to build stronger parent-child relationships and better manage and understand their adolescent’s behaviour.
This course begins from Monday 24th May 2021, and each week a new topic will be discussed.
Topics include:
- Understanding your child – adolescent development
- Reflecting on your parenting – the impact of various parenting styles
- Setting limits and boundaries that stick
- Effective communication and conflict resolution strategies
- Practical strategies for building resilience in your children and effectively helping them manage their emotions.
- Special topics: alcohol and other drugs, sex, mental health, navigating social media and cyberspace & enhancing internal regulation.
Dr Terri Said (WAYS CEO and Secondary Principal), is one of the presenters at this seminar and has been running and hosting various parenting courses over the 16 years at WAYS.
She is an amazing communicator and has seen and heard a lot of positive stories over the years, so we thought we would spend 10 mins with her to gain her insight of tips for parents.
Please tell me a bit about yourself, Terri.
I’ve been at WAYS for 16 years. I am passionate about making a meaningful contribution to the lives of my local community and young people in particular. I’m often inspired by the resilience young people display in response to life’s challenges. I also truly empathise with parents and understand that raising children to be conscious of their purpose in life, make positive choices and recognize their important role in making our world a better place has its challenges. I want to hear them, support them, and congratulate them on the time and energy they put into nurturing and raising our future.
What challenges have you seen teenagers face the most?
Facing their fears and anxieties, being comfortable with themselves and finding a place in their social and familial context that they are happy with.
What helpful tips can you give to parents to help them through this stage in life?
Let them know your love is unconditional and that you will always be there with them through their successes and failures.
Let them fail when appropriate so they can learn from their mistakes. Have consistent and clear expectations, boundaries, and consequences.
Take an interest in what matters to them and even join in if you can.
What factors play a major role in the development of Teenagers?
- Parents who have a good balance between connection and control.
- Consistent parenting.
- The mental and physical health of young people and the people close to them.
- Young people understanding and believing that they have a purpose and the responsibility to act in the best interest of themselves.
- Young people who attend and complete schooling as it teaches them, they can succeed, to be responsible for their own success, to act responsibly as part of a community, fail and learn from it and the foundation to succeed at work and further study.
Tell us a story in your experience of where you have seen a Teenager transform.
I see it all the time especially in WAYS Secondary and the RTO. The students persevere through so many challenges to succeed. My whole year 12 class last year were incredible in their determination to achieve and complete school despite some of them lacking in confidence and them having to work extra hard to bridge gaps in their schooling journey. A vast majority of those who applied through early entrance to get into university got in!
So I am super inspired by their determination to succeed at something that was so hard for them.
If a Teenager or Parent is seeking help, where should they go?
WAYS – We have a range of youth specialist services ( G.P’s, psychologists, case managers, two alternate types of education pathways) to specifically assist young people and their families that cater for education, mental health, physical health and practical assistance. Parents can attend our effective parent groups and receive therapy if required as well. They should talk to their G.P. In some cases, I would advise young people to also seek out an adult they trust to get support and advice around whatever issue they may be facing.
Visit the WAYS website to learn more about our community-based organisation, including our resources for parents and our programmes for children and teens.