Thoughtful Parenting Community Discussion Series

Parents and Children togetherAllen Creek Preschool hosts a series of evening of lectures and informal, open discussions, free and open to the community. Topics are generated from parent suggestions.

Thoughtful Parenting is an active stance toward parenting, empowering parents to be the kinds of parents they want to be. We help parents articulate their own values in child rearing and move toward actualizing these values, developing a sense of agency and joy in raising their children. All events are on Wednesdays from 8pm - 9pm.

Topics This Year Include

  • Staying Connected - Dr. Bernadette Kovachs
    Wednesday, October, 12 2012 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm

  • Meaning and Significance of Play - Dr. Mort Chethik
    Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm
    While we play naturally with children, we often do not understand that this interaction, carried on through childhood and beyond, has striking benefits for the ongoing relationship and for the internal development of the child. Play, which is clearly associated with pleasure, enhances the loving tie significantly. For the child, when the function of play is developed, it serves as the foundation for the creative capacities of the child -- his or her ability to use her imagination and fantasy life. The speaker will illustrate these ideas with anecdotes from the turmoil of raising 4 children.

  • Raising Socially Responsible Kids...May Be Easier Than We Think! - Dr. Carole Symer
    Wednesday, January 16, 2013 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm
    This is an opportunity for parents to come together to talk about ways of fostering compassion in our children. We have heard parents describe concerns about bullying in our schools in recent years, as well as a new generation of ‘spoiled brats’ reflecting another ‘me’ generation on the rise in the larger landscape. How can we talk about socially ‘sticky’ things with our preschoolers? How much can we ‘teach’ our toddlers beneficence and social responsibility? When do we encourage our kids to be compassionate with others and when do we surrender to our inclination to protect them from bullying? How can we foster a sense of caring and desire to help without telling our children what to feel? How can we be there for our kids when we're distracted by the day’s stressors and overwhelmed with more work at home in the evening? And how can we respond to children's questions and concerns without introducing our own anxiety? We will discuss the neuroscience research on empathy and how it effects how we teach and parent children, however, much of the conversation will be devoted to talking about the pragmatics of communicating empathy with our kids and how to engage in dialogues with them in order to foster social sensitivity and invite responsibility.

  • Discipline vs. Punishment - Dr. Merton Shill
    Wednesday, March 13, 2013 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm
    A chance to look at the fine distinction between discipline and punishment and address behavior in early childhood.

  • How Emotional and Cognitive Development Influence Each Other in Early Childhood - Dr. Linda Kreger
    Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm
    We will discuss some of the feelings, thoughts and traits typical of young children, along with how this can be explained by the complementary effects of emotional and cognitive development. This helps our understanding of why children understand, think, learn and feel as they do in these years, and what we can do to best help any of their childhood confusions, promote progressive growth, and enjoy this experience. Participants are very welcome to offer questions and examples of this topic unique to them or their children.

  • Mastering Separation - Dr. Carol Austad
    Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 8:00 - 9:00 pm