PULLMAN, Wash. — The role of fathers in parenting competent, caring and courageous children will be the focus of the Fourth Annual Northwest Regional Parenting Conference, scheduled Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood.
The conference is for both parenting educators and parents, especially fathers, according to Lori Carraway, WSU Snohomish County Cooperative Extension.
In 43 presentations over two days, speakers will examine such topics as:
- 10 Ways to Tell Kids We Love Them
- Rites of Passage for Teens
- Jailhouse Rock: Parenting Education for the Incarcerated Male
- When Mom and Dad Disagree
- Preparing for the Teenage Years
- Discipline: Deciding What You Want
- Hispanic Families in Transition: Understanding Changing Family Roles
- Grandfathers who are “Daddy’s”
James Garbarino, who has served as a consultant and advisor to a wide range of organizations, including the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, will speak on “The Role of Fathers in a Socially Toxic Environment.” Garbarino is a professor of human development at Cornell University.
Glen Palm, professor of child and family studies at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn., will talk on “Fathering: Dead End Job or Career Opportunity?”
Palm has studied fathers’ perceptions of attachment, parent education needs of incarcerated fathers and the role of fatherhood in influencing men’s values, morals and religious beliefs.
“On Friday, Garbarino and Palm will also participate in an open panel discussion on how men learn to be fathers,” Carraway said.
Registration is $60 for one day and $110 for both days for registrations postmarked March 6 or earlier. For a copy of the program and registration details, contact Chris Eder, WSU Cooperative Extension Conference Planning Service, at (509) 335-2954 or by e-mail at edercj@wsu.edu.
Sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, in the Triton Union Building.
The conference is co-sponsored by Washington State University Cooperative Extension, the Division of Alcohol and Other Drugs and the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program of Snohomish County, the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Department of Community Trade and Economic Development, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and the Washington Association of Head Start and ECEAP Programs.
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