Submitted by an anonymous Howard County community member.
When I was a new parent of babies and toddlers, my anxieties were constant. Besides the general stress of keeping a tiny human alive, I worried about my child’s sleep, nutrition and overall happiness, among other equally important issues- no small feat!
Now that I am a parent to teens, I still have anxiety, but while sleep, nutrition and overall happiness are still a concern in a different way, I worry about a lot more subjects these days. Although I do still worry about keeping my (not so tiny) humans alive, the scale is bigger. I can present my kids with information to help guide them to the best choice, but I can’t be with them all the time. I know that a large part of parenting teens is giving them the independence to make their own decisions- my hope is that their choices are healthy, thoughtful and smart.
I am looking forward to HC DrugFree’s spring Guiding Good Choices parenting class to help me to navigate the decision-making process with my teens. I hope that the strong family bond that we have nurtured will help my teens make good choices- I would like the class to give me ideas on how to handle real-life situations that my teens may find themselves in, and be prepared with clear-cut answers when asked difficult questions. I also hope to meet other parents with kids the same age who might be experiencing similar issues. Gone are the days of playgroups with parents who are in the trenches with you. It is comforting to know that other people are in this difficult stage of parenting with you- and that the situations and feelings that you are experiencing are the norm, not the exception.
If you are the parent, guardian or grandparent of a Howard County tween or teen, aged 9-14, come join me and HC DrugFree’s team for Guiding Good Choices classes on Tuesdays and Fridays this spring: March 18, 21, 25, 28 and April 1 from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Spring2025GGC
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