Marshall Allen
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Children don't come with instruction manuals,
but through a program at La Canada Presbyterian Church, parents don't
have to learn alone.
The church's Parent Education program teaches parenting skills to more
than 400 families from 19 local communities.
"It's a place for people to come and be with other parents who are
going through the same issues raising their children," said program
Director Ginny Kelly.
On Saturday, the Parent Education program presents a seminar with
Barbara Coloroso, an internationally recognized author and speaker on
parenting issues.
Coloroso will give practical advice for parents to help them utilize
the everyday stuff of families -- chores, mealtime, bedtime and such --
to create a healthy home environment. She'll also discuss the keys to
good parenting: treating kids with respect, giving them a sense of
positive power in their lives and giving them the opportunity to make
decisions.
The evening with Coloroso is a one-time event, but the Parent
Education program has 17 other weekly classes for parents, and for
parents and kids to take together. The classes do have fees, but also
have scholarships available.
Claudia Ferguson, a La Canada Flintridge parent, has been involved
with the Parent Education program for four years. She described the
weekly classes as a safe place for parents, almost all mothers, to come
together and share in each other's parenting journey.
"You really do become a community together," she said.
The goal of the classes is to create community, so parents can be free
to help one another, Kelly said.
Parents aren't alone, Kelly said.
"They have others who are also going through the same struggles and
joys with their children."
IF YOU GO
WHAT: "An Evening with Barbara Coloroso."
WHEN: 7-9 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: La Canada Presbyterian Church, 626 Foothill Blvd., La Canada
Flintridge
COST: $10.
For more information, call 790-6758 x205.
