Workshop Offerings

Stop Carrying your Child’s Backpack: How to raise a responsible human and make your life easier along the way
Everywhere we look we are hearing about how we are supposed to raise our child to be a responsible adult. What does that actually look like on a Tuesday morning when you’re rushing to get out the door? What is developmentally appropriate for a two year old? A six year old? A twelve year old? We’ll discuss how to develop your child’s sense of personal responsibility, practical ways to implement chores and deal with homework and how to raise a respectful, emotionally robust kid.  

The Birds, the Bees and All the Questions that Terrify You
Whether your three year old is asking where babies come from, your teen is dating or you’re wondering how to keep your child safe, issues around sexuality and puberty can feel daunting. After this workshop you’ll have the tools to provide developmentally appropriate information from toddlerhood through the teenage years. You will have developed a framework that allows you to engage in an ongoing conversation rather than an overwhelming ‘one and done’ lecture. We will also discuss how to help your child develop healthy boundaries and how to talk to them about puberty.

Parenting the Intense Child
If you’ve ever wondered how it is that other kids tantrums or meltdowns last minutes while your child’s can go on and on – this is the workshop for you. Some children are more sensitive, persistent, sensory seeking, intense or gifted. Parenting them requires extra energy and definitely more tricks up your sleeve. We’ll talk both about how boundary setting is so important with an intense child – but also so much harder. We’ll also talk about choosing your battles and which behavior is normative and when to be concerned. At the end of the workshop you’ll have both an expanded framework for thinking about your child as well as some practical tools.

Childproofing Your Relationship
It's easy to be so excited for baby's arrival that we forget all the ways that becoming a parent is a major transition both for us and for our relationships. This workshop will focus on the challenges of going from romance to partners in parenting. Practical tips will be discussed such as balancing time for you, your partner and your child, who sleeps where, spending meaningful time together, redefining 'good sex', sharing the workload equitably and not making parenting a competition. Whether you are anticipating parenthood or have been in the trenches for years we’ll talk about how to keep and maintain your relationship as a priority.

Toddlers 101
Parenting a one year old can be tremendous fun. They are excited and curious and even mundane things can be cause for celebration and exploration. However parenting them can also be absolutely exhausting. Their moods shift quickly, their demands intensify and many of the tricks and techniques you mastered with your baby begin to feel useless. In this class we will talk about the incredible developmental changes that happen from 12-24 months. We will discuss practical, easy ways to cultivate your child’s independence, introduce limits and handle common problems from early waking, to tantrums to hitting.

Tears and Tantrums
Setting limits and encouraging emotional regulation can be an enormous task that leaves many parents feeling confused and overwhelmed. We will talk about the developmental tasks of being a toddler or preschooler and why parenting them can feel like riding a roller coaster. We’ll talk about setting limits in a firm and loving manner around food, sleep, and behavior. Workshop will include practical tips for encouraging age appropriate independence and emotional regulation. We will discuss the benefits and limits of different discipline methods including time outs, natural consequences, punishments, bribery and behavior charts.

Popcorn
After a sampling all or some of the above workshops it can be useful to have a workshop that is entirely question and answer. At this workshop parents will have had an opportunity to experiment with things taught at previous workshops and will have follow up questions. There will also be time to ask questions about any parenting questions that employees may have that have not been discussed at previous workshops.