Communicating with teenagers can be an overwhelming task for many parents and caregivers but the Town of Innisfail is hoping to help through a series of courses it is offering to help educate parents in the ways of their young adults.
The upcoming course is the second of two, and is being offered on Thursday, March 31 and is appropriately titled Did that grunt mean yes or no?
“The course is meant to help parents understand the frustrating aspects of teenage behaviour and help teach them how to cope with that behaviour,” said Heather Dixon, with the Innisfail community services department.
The course will be taught by Okotoks native, Dr. Scott Wooding, who is a parent, teacher, counsellor, psychologist, and a very great speaker, said Dixon.
Wooding based the course on a number of his teachings from his book, Rage, Rebellion and Rudeness.
He will be talking about the one-word answers, long silences, and rudeness that are displayed by teenagers that are often misinterpreted.
“He says that teens really do want to talk to adults but that they are just not very good at it,” said Dixon.
The session will help parents come up with a communication plan they can implement in their homes.
The course is being provided for free by the community services department of the Town of Innisfail through FCSS funding.
The town has partnered with the Henday Association for Lifelong Learning to administer the course as they have the resources to help share the session with parents in other towns in Central Alberta.
Parents in Cremona, Sundre, Olds, Bowden, and Sylvan Lake will also be able to tune in to the session through video conferencing at learning centres in their towns.
The course is about two hours long and will also include a question period at the end. Parents are asked to pre-register for the session by calling the Henday Association at (403) 227-2866.
Wooding also taught the first of the two courses which was called Understanding Today’s Teenagers.
The first course, which was offered on March 3, took a look at how a lot of a teenager’s behaviour is a result of the hormonal changes going on in their body, and of the redevelopment of a teenager’s brain.
Around 63 people participated in the session from all of the different towns, with about 23 of those attending in Innisfail.
