Coming of Age

Coming Of Age is a support circle for parents of teenage children ages 15-18. Parents and youth will gather monthly. Youth will be engaged in Play Cousins programming while adults share their experiences, resources and needs around parenting. During this growth period teens will reach 95% of their adult height, they may seem self-absorbed and will have an increased concern for the future. They may experiment in risk taking behavior and develop more serious relationships. They will develop a clearer sexual identity. Being open, informative and refraining from shaming your child at this time will be important. Responding with curiosity and support rather than judgement will also be a challenge. This stage will bring about important life decisions. Your modeling of values, compassion and love for your child will help shape them into the adult they will soon become.Encouraging their sense of self, autonomy and sense of humor is important but pairing that with a connection to the local and global community is also pivotal. During this phase we must prepare our children to inherit the village and become leaders in our community.