A Day of Adaptive Parenting

Parenting looks different in these days of COVID-19 and may be different from now on. Our children are struggling with mental health, friendships, and faith. Parenting is harder than ever.

We invite you to attend one workshop or the whole day, equipping yourself with resources for adaptive parenting in today’s world.

8:00 a.m. | Family Systems

Joe Clifford
Pastor

Our parenting is heavily informed by how we were parented. How our parents raised us was shaped by how our grandparents raised them. Our families of origin provide us with a script that defines what’s “normal,” what it means to be a son or a daughter, a mother or a father, a brother or a sister.

Family Systems explores patterns of functioning, encouraging us to take a look at “the manuals” that shaped our own lives in order to make more conscious decisions about how we parent.  One of the key concepts is emotional triangles, particularly “the monster triangle” of a mom, a dad, and a child.

9:00 a.m. | Gathering Space: Welcome to the Day

Michelle Thomas-Bush
Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families

Take a breath. Let us center ourselves before the one who created us and calls us beloved. We will pause as the day begins for a moment of prayer and reflection. We hope to give you the gift of a deep breath of peace from Christ. As parents, you could not deserve it more!

9:30 a.m. | Mission & Service as a Family

John Magnuson
Associate Pastor for Discipleship

When the problems of the world seem overwhelming and unsolvable, where do we start? And when we engage in efforts to tackle these issues, what is our role and how do we talk about them with our kids and family?

In this session we will discuss the “why, how, and what” of engaging in mission and how it is different than “service projects” or “charitable giving”. We hope to leave you with a lens through which to see God’s mission in the world, and ways as a family to join in.

10:30 a.m. | Handling Your Kid’s Hardest (& Heartfelt) Questions

Lisa Hickman
Associate Pastor for Children & Their Families

We’ve all been there: your child asks a doozy of a God question right before hopping out of the car for school. We’ll talk about how to engage the hard questions with good theology and lots of love. Bring your tough ones to this conversation!

11:30 a.m. | Healthy Relationships

Sophie Maness
Director of Family Ministries at Westminster Presbyterian Church (Nashville, TN)

Relationships have been hard for everyone. Friendships are hard. Learn some skills to help your children and youth cultivate healthy relationships. Learn the new landscape for dating today and understand the ground rules of consent. How early do we begin talking about sexuality and what does it even look like today? Bring all your questions to this workshop.

Sophie Maness is the speaker for our Faith and Sexuality Weekend for our 5th graders and our youth.

12:30 p.m. | Mental Health Toolbox

Michelle Thomas-Bush
Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families

While 1 in 5 people experience mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that impact their mental health. Now more than ever it is critical to learn how to talk about mental health. Throughout the year, our high school youth have been learning practical tools to improve their mental health and actively process mental health struggles. Let’s build our own mental health toolbox as parents and engage in practices for hard days.

1:30 p.m. | The Power of Celebration

Kim McNeil
Staff Associate for Youth Ministries at University Presbyterian Church (Chapel Hill, NC)

We celebrate birthdays, sports wins, straight A’s, and every other monumental achievement in the lives of our young people. But what about the little things? Just meeting expectations is a huge win some days, especially as we trudge through pandemic life. We’ll talk about the ways that celebration of all kinds can change your family dynamics, encourage your young people in their journey, and cultivate a culture of joy in your household.