Welcome to PEPTalk! This blog is all about parenting – including tips, great articles and updates on our class offerings. The conversation is for parents and others who want to raise healthy, cooperative, thriving children. Raising children to thrive isn’t easy, especially when those children regularly mess up our plans for their success. We learn the art of parenting from each other, and our PEPTalk blog is here to help—with tips, tools, talk and encouragement—as well as updates about PEP’s many educational programs.
Our bloggers are like our class leaders (many of them are class leaders)—parents who have found at PEP support, inspiration and a sensible road map for the journey. They’ll share their unique perspectives and experiences, connected by their deep commitment to helping you be the parent you want to be. We invite you to join the conversation.
It’s a parent’s nightmare: Your teenage daughter tries to charm her latest crush by sending him a revealing photo of herself—and is devastated when he forwards it to dozens of classmates. Or you learn from an older sibling that a suggestive photo of your younger daughter is circulating online. “Parents take it personally and wonder, oh my God, why would my kid ever do that?” says Robbye Fox, who runs parenting workshops in Kensington,... read more>>
Bedtime is such a chore for parents that there’s a book with a profanity-laced title devoted to the subject. Behavior that seemed cute at 8 a.m. is anything but when everyone is exhausted and the good-nights are stretching into the second hour. Why do kids choose the day’s waning moments to unleash their neediness? And how can parents make bedtime more efficient? Patricia Cancellier,... read more>>
The questions many parents dread begin as early as middle school: Did you do drugs when you were in school? Did you drink when you were a teenager? Parents’ natural reaction is often to clam up and try to hide youthful misdeeds. But there are ways to use stories about your own underage drinking, reckless driving or drug use to teach teens important lessons about health and safety. It requires listening carefully to what teens are asking and staying focused on what they need at the time.... read more>>
Of all the challenges that school brings for students and their parents, one of the most unwelcome and worrying is bullying. Bullying starts as early as first grade and peaks in middle school. About 1 in 5 students report being bullied each year, and figuring out how to respond is difficult. A parent’s first impulse—whether to fly into a rage and call the bully’s parents or dismiss the whole thing as “kid stuff”—is not necessarily the right path.... read more>>
For parents, breaking the rules is sometimes a good thing. Pediatricians, psychologists and authors and moms and dads agree on this: We live in an age of parenting dogma—and it can be bad for families. Limit your child’s screen time. Avoid giving your toddler juice and stick to milk or water. Some doctors and family health experts are now saying people should see some value in bending rules with children. Click here to read the article.... read more>>
Summer is almost here. For parents of school-age kids, this means freedom from the grind of homework, piano lessons, scout meetings and soccer practice. It’s time to relax and take in the summer breeze with the youngsters, right? If only summer were that simple. For many parents in the Washington area, summer is less about sun and fun and more about calendars and carpools.... read more>>
Mothers feel more anxious, dissatisfied and doubtful about their own parenting skills when their children are in middle school than at any other stage, new research shows. The turbulence that hits sixth- through eighth-graders often begins with the onset of puberty, bringing physical changes and mood swings. Also, many students transfer from close-knit elementary schools to larger middle schools. Childhood friends may be separated, classes are often tracked by ability and teachers are more demanding.... read more>>
July to September, 2015 – Fox 5 DC Morning News. PEP appeared on 4 different occasions as a parenting expert in panel discussions on the show.... read more>>
Gender roles are about more than just clothes and toy aisles. Think jobs and career. Patti Cancellier, education director with Kensington’s Parent Encouragement Program, said the topic of gender comes up in her classes frequently. “Usually it’s around the idea of pink and blue jobs at home,” she said. “We always recommend that every child,... read more>>
Bethesda Magazine, “Bring in the Experts,” – PEP was featured extensively in this article about parenting and parenting education. ... read more>>
Parent Encouragement Program
10100 Connecticut Ave.
Kensington, MD 20895
301-929-8824
office@PEPparent.org
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