Wilton Youth Council and Wilton Library, along with Silver Hill Hospital and Weston Youth Services, are hosting a series of parenting discussions tailored for parents of teenagers. The organization is inviting parents to attend the talks to help both them and their teens develop healthy life skills and they’ve titled the series, “Everything You Want to Know about Your Adolescent.”

According to the group’s recent newsletter, one of the themes of the three sessions that are planned is stress and its effects on teens. “In our society we tend to think of stress as being ‘bad.’ It manifests as unpleasant emotions and can lead to long-term health problems. Stress is no longer considered the exclusive province of adults and we now understand that children of every age can experience its deleterious effects.”

The objective is to help parents learn how to help children, through advice from child development experts. One key is for parents to help their children “develop appropriate and measured responses to stress,” rather than simply remove all stresses from their lives.

“Teaching resilience and healthy coping strategies will empower our children to cope with common life stress and lay a solid foundation for tackling problems as they leave the nest.”

Each of the classes in the series will be led by experts in child and adolescent development, and will include informal conversations about raising healthy, happy teens as well as Q&A. The series dates are:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015:  “Setting Limits with Your Tween and Teen” with Tracey Masella, LCSW, adolescent social worker, Silver Hill Hospital. 10-11:30 a.m. at Wilton Library (registration recommended) and 7-8:30 p.m. at Weston Library.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016:  “Stress and Success” with Michelle Albright, PhD, director of youth services, Weston Youth Services. 10-11:30 a.m. at Weston Library and 7-8:30 p.m. at Wilton Library (register here).
  • Wednesday. Mar. 30, 2016:  “Depression and Anxiety in Youth: What Does it Look Like and When is it a Problem?” with Dr. Aaron Krasner, adolescent service chief, Silver Hill Hospital. 10-11:30 a.m. at Wilton Library (register here) and 7-8:30 p.m. at Weston Library.