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On Sunday, February 9, we are excited to be hosting Dawson’s Parenting Conference, “Raising Boys & Girls” with David Thomas and Sissy Goff. Between the two of them, David and Sissy have more than 40 years of experience counseling kids and families. They’ve written 16 books and just released a podcast called Raising Boys and Girls. Mostly, they love getting to share with us what they’re learning on a daily basis from their work with kids of all ages. This is going to be a wonderful conference for all parents. Childcare will be available, but please RSVP by February 3 to Donna Allan at dallan@dawsonchurch.org. For more information, please contact Andy Cartee at acartee@dawsonchurch.org.

 

Schedule

9:40-10:40 a.m.
Developing Spiritually as a Family, David Thomas (Chapel)

This class will break down Deuteronomy 6 as a roadmap for developing spiritually as a family. We’ll take a close look at three areas of instruction from this passage, and more importantly, how we practically integrate them into the daily-ness of our lives as a family, in this fast-paced world.

 

This class will also look at the scientific link between spirituality and health, and the data around how kids are affected when they have a positive, active relationship with God.  We’ll end with five easy practices any family can fold into the rhythm of their lives each week together. This class is for parents and grandparents of toddlers to young adults.

 

4:00-5:00 p.m.
Taming The Technology Monster, Sissy Goff (Chapel)

Parenting is a more challenging—and sometimes more frightening—task than it's ever been before. Much of the fright and challenge have to do with our twenty-first century friend, technology. In this class, we'll discuss trends in technology among kids today, what you can do to protect your family from the dangers of this "monster," and even turn the monster into opportunities for good in the life of your child and family.

 

4:00-5:00 p.m.
How to Talk to Kids About Sex, David Thomas (Sanctuary)

“When should I start the conversation?”
“I don’t want my kids to hear about things first from another source.”
“My nine year old stumbled into something on the internet. How do I address this?”
“How much information is too much information?”
“My parents never talked to me about sex. I don’t have a blueprint for any kind of conversation.”

These are questions and comments we’ve heard from hundreds of parents over the years. Most parents at this time in history didn’t grow up with a healthy, ongoing dialogue about sexuality and physical development. The idea of stepping into this conversation with our kids feels a bit like traveling across the country with no GPS. Our kids desperately need education in this arena. We’ll come together to talk around eight important ideas for shaping a healthy, age-appropriate conversation with our kids about their growing bodies, the changes they will experience, and how/when to talk about sex.

 

5:00-6:30 p.m.
Raising Worry-Free Kids, David Thomas & Sissy Goff (Sanctuary)

Kids are growing up in a world of worry today. Anxiety, in fact, is a childhood epidemic, affecting 1 out of every 4 children. Kids of all ages feel pressure…from the expectations around them, inside of them, and even, unknowingly, from us. What can we do to slow the epidemic for kids, in general? And, even more importantly, what can you do to calm the worry-related meltdowns and help your child find the confidence to fight his or her own brand of Worry Monster?

In this seminar, you’ll gain

    •      understanding of the what’s and why’s in terms of the differences between anxiety and worry, and where your child is on the continuum

    •      help practically with tools to overcome the worry that he or she will inevitably face

    •      hope as your child discovers a sense of faith and resilience that is stronger than any worry this age of anxiety can bring

Children need understanding, help, and hope. You can make a profound difference in their their journey to finding all three. You will come out of this seminar feeling not only more confident in your parenting, but in your ability to help them discover all of the courage that is already inside of them.

 

For more information, please contact Andy Cartee at acartee@dawsonchurch.org.

For childcare, please contact Donna Allan at dallan@dawsonchurch.org. The deadline for childcare is Monday, February 3.