Parent series helps families take next steps

The Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families has two upcoming programs - one to help families figure out how to pay for college and one to help parents be sure their children are ready to head out into the world.

In "Conquering the Challenges of College Costs," author Frank Palmasanti will highlight 30 steps parents can take to prepare financially for college expenses. Palmasanti wrote "Right College, Right Price" and created the financial fit online program.

"Conquering the Challenges of College Costs" begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Glenbard West High School, 670 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn.

Next, the series presents "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over-Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid For Success."

Julie Lythcott-Haims, best-selling author of "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free from the Over-Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success," will guide parents on the path to raising a healthy child with an examination of the harms of helicopter parenting and an alternate philosophy for raising preteens and teens to self-reliant young adulthood.

The program will be presented at noon Thursday, Oct. 8, at Glenbard South High School, 23W200 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn.

Lythcott-Haims draws on research; conversations with admissions officers, educators and employers; and her own insights as a mother and dean at Stanford University to highlight the ways overparenting harms children, parents and society at large.

While empathizing with the parental hopes and fears that lead to over-helping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underscore the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resourcefulness and inner determination necessary for success.

Relevant to parents of toddlers as well as of 20-somethings - and of special value to parents of teens - this presentation is a rallying cry for those who want to ensure that the next generation can take charge of their own lives with competence and confidence.

Education professionals can earn CPDUs for attending the program, which promotes a healthier, more common-sense approach to raising children who will grow up to be resilient, independent and prepared to meet the challenges of life.

For information on the Glenbard Parent Series, visit glenbardgps.org or contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at (630) 942-7668 or gilda_ross@glenbard.org.