A few months ago, two things happened within 12 hours. First, some youth and their parents expressed an interest in having some programming on Sunday evenings. Games, food, hanging out, a bit of education – nothing too serious, maybe once a month. The next day, Kiki McKendrick dropped by my office with an idea for youth ministry and the Middleton Counseling Center to partner on something. Maybe a series for parents with programming at the same time for youth. Maybe monthly on a Sunday night?
As my friend Emily likes to say, “God is so fancy!!”
This Sunday, October 12, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., is the first in our six-part Positive Parenting series. Over the course of the next year, experts from the Middleton Counseling Center and their colleagues will cover the basics of positive parenting, technology, identity development, stress, self-medication, and faith. The heart of the training will be for parents of 6th to 12th graders, but other parents are invited, too, especially older elementary parents looking to get a jump on understanding adolescence. This week introduces the tenets of positive parenting, and I think it will be really helpful for parents.
Meanwhile, youth are invited to join me for an old-school youth group. Too much pizza, silly games, running around, and then some activities that will give parents and youth something to talk about in the car ride home, if they want. The time will be structured but not overly programmed, meaning lots of space to rest from the pressures of homework, sports, exams, and stress.
At the heart of this program for me are two core beliefs. First, context really matters, and it’s important for parents to understand the world around their youth. But the second core belief is that evergreen principles like curiosity, collaboration, understanding development, and maintaining boundaries will cover a multitude of sins and will apply even as the context changes dramatically around us. My hope is that these sessions will help us all learn a lot and relate to each other even better in times of profound stress.