Press

Release Date

January 16, 2003

Strong Attendance at CPC Forum

By RAINA MARTINEZ

A large turnout of parents were in attendance at the Community Prevention Council's (CPC) Healthy Families/Healthy Community forum last Thursday at the Roger Barkley Center, entitled: "Who is this Stranger Living in Our House?" Survival Tips (How to enjoy living with a teenager). This was the first in a series of parenting forums scheduled this year for parents of 4-6 grade students.

The guest speaker for the event was Dr. Peter M. Gero Ph.D., M.F. T., who has had extensive experience working with young people (including teaching, working as a psychotherapist in La Canada, leading workshops, parent and director of Tom Sawyer Camps), led an interactive discussion about developing open communication between parents and their children.

According to Gero, being a good listener is one of the most important aspects of having open communication between parents and children. The child needs to feel comfortable opening up with their parents, Parents need to hold back their personal input many times to encourage the child to open up and talk.

“There is such a pull for pre- teens not to talk to their parents, we want to make it a good experience, The child needs to feel important, that what they are saying is important," said Dr. Gero. He recommends that parents listen more and give less advice. Ask questions about what the child is saying. When the child makes mistakes, hold back personal comment, but instead ask why the child made that decision, what factors did they consider or did they think. This process will encourage good decision-making.

"I am very pleased with the attendance. I heard good feed- back, everyone had a great time and had their questions answered. They had their eyes opened to new ways of communicating with their children. Itshows that people are interested in learning new things. It's very encouraging," said William Moffitt, Community Prevention Council chairperson.

The next two parenting forums will be held on March 20, and May 15. For more information contact the Community Prevention Council at 626-791-2559.