There are still nine seats available for the remaining two sessions of local family therapist Amanda Craig’s presentations and discussions on common family pressures for parents and their “tween” kids, aged 8 to 12 years old.
Craig’s two family workshops take place on each of the next two Sundays, Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Darien Library. Registration is necessary to attend. Craig, a Phd and licensed family and marriage therapist, is presenting the three-part series based on her new book, Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Kid?
“These sessions […] will offer a space where families can come together to discuss common pressures and how that affects mental health and well being,” Darien Library’s announcement says. “It will be an interactive group where families will leave with tips and tools for strengthening family connections.”
Registration for the Oct. 23 event will close just before the event starts at 3 p.m., but it’s better to sign up early, while you still can.
“We ask that at least two members of a family attend together,” the announcement says. “All family members are welcome. Attendance is not required at all three events.”
The Three Events
The first part, “Building family connections: Becoming the secure base kids need,” was held on Oct. 16.
Week 2, Oct. 23 — “Building family connections: What gets in the way and how do we repair”
Week 3, Oct. 30 — “Expanding the context: Learning from our past to understand our present”
About the Author
Dr. Amanda Craig is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked with individuals, couples and families in Darien and Manhattan for over 20 years.
She is the author of a soon-to-be-released tween parenting book: Who Are You and What Have You Done with My Kid? In addition to her practice, she work with parents, kids and families through speaking events and tween pop-up workshops.
Dr. Craig is a recipient of the 2022 Darien/Norwalk YWCA Women of Distinction award.
About the book, Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Kid
So you have a Tween! What now? Dr. Amanda Craig knows what it’s like to watch your child go from sweet elementary student to moody tween in the span of just a few years.
How do we keep our kids close while cultivating the confidence they’ll need to grow up? How do we navigate the inevitable dips, divides, and potholes? Where do we find the strength, self-awareness, and wisdom that amount to a path forward?
Despite the parenting opportunities in the tween years, parents often spend time focused on academics and the social concerns of elementary school then quickly pivot to worries about safety, drugs, sex and the rebellious behavioral issues of the teen years.
However, they still have a “seat at the table” to make positive impressions on their tweens as they prepare them for the teenage years. In the book, Dr. Craig explores ways parents can connect with their tween while they are still listening.
Copies of the book, Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Kid? are available for purchase at Barrett Bookstore in Darien. (You can download the introduction and the first chapter here, from the publisher’s website, but you’ll have to provide your email address.)