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West Shore parenting program tackles stigmas around raising teenagers

‘Many teens don’t feel like their parents have confidence in them,” says program coordinator
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Parents in the Know, a nine-week program in three locations around Greater Victoria, helps parents rediscover their relationship with their 13 to 21-year-olds. (Courtesy of Boys and Girls of Canada)

Imagine your relationship with your child as a business – are you a manager or a consultant?

That’s one of the questions an upcoming workshop hopes to answer for parents who are currently raising teens.

Parents In the Know is a nine-week course designed to help parents break down the stigmas that come with raising 13 to 21-year-olds. Each week will dive deeper into what it means to build a stronger relationship with your kid to gain mutual understanding with each other.

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Deanna Riedke says one of the biggest struggles of parenting teens is accepting that they need to be fired as a manager and be re-hired as a consultant.

“We start raising our child by doing everything for them,” explained the program co-facilitator at Boys and Girls Club of Canada. “But when they become teens, they don’t want to be told what to do constantly.”

During that time, teens tend to ‘fire’ their parents, which is seen through their actions, such as staying out past curfew or not doing the dishes. Miriam Miller, the program coordinator, said the goal for parents should be to become a person that can be trusted and asked for help when needed.

“Many teens don’t feel like their parents have confidence in them,” Miller said. “They feel like they are always disappointing them and always falling behind expectations.”

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The program will be taking place in three locations around Greater Victoria.

The first location takes place at Belmont Secondary, 3041 Langford Lake Rd, on Mondays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The second location is at Edward Milne Community School, 6218 Sooke Rd, on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The third location is at Norgaard Centre, 1233 Clarke Rd, on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The program at Belmont begins on Monday, Jan. 20. Interested applicants must register. The cost of each program is $60 per person or $90 per couple. There is a subsidy available for parents who are not able to afford the complete price.

For more info, contact Miriam Miller or Deanna Riedke at 250-384-9133 ext. 222 or email parentingprograms@bgcvic.org.

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com


@iaaronguillen
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