Though the teen years often are considered the toughest for youths, they can be equally challenging for their parents.
And just as teens congregate into support groups at the mall or skate park, there now is a way for parents to band together in support of each other.
The Parents of Teens Support Group will hold its monthly meeting today at 7 p.m. in Room 138 at Fort Frances High School.
“We meet every third Tuesday of the month,” noted co-ordinator Vickie Kennedy, a teacher at St. Francis School here. “This will be our third meeting.”
The group, numbering nine or 10 at present, meets mainly to discuss issues facing youth in their teens and pre-teen years. Kennedy encouraged any parent to come to a meeting.
“I think that anyone that has, or has had, a teenager has realized there are challenges to those years,” she noted. “Parents of kids in Grade 7 and 8, in their pre-teens, might find this helpful, as well.
“This is an opportunity to share those challenges [with a group].
“The people that come out don’t necessarily have problems with their teens,” Kennedy added. “The pressures are out there and if we can alleviate those pressures, [we’ve succeeded].”
Kennedy said the aim is to share ideas.
“If people have things that work for them, they can share them. It’s about sharing what works and maybe what doesn’t work,” she noted.
Also at tonight’s meeting, the support group will hear a presentation by Brad Herbert of the district Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) team.
The idea of the presentations is to get a better sense of the issues that face teens—in this instance those that are drug- and alcohol-related.
“[As parents] we really need to be more informed,” Kennedy stressed.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
