Parent Forum "Homesick and Happy" presented by Michael Thompson

                         HOMESICK AND HAPPY How Children Grow and Change When They Are Away from Their Parents

 October 13, 2011 ( Thursday,)                           Ottoson Middle School

For parents grades K-12                                       7-8:30 p.m.

In the US today, we have a generation of adults who are dedicated to doing a great job of parenting.  They want to produce healthy, happy children who are athletically skilled, socially accepted and academically successful.  There is nothing wrong with these parental ambitions.  However, there is an assumption that this kind of embedded parenting always adds psychological value.  Yet, there are actually many times when parental absence is the magic ingredient for a child and especially for a teenager.

In this talk, Dr. Thompson will explain how the greatest maturation in childhood occurs when children are away from their parents.  It will describe the experiences, excitement, fears and growth of situations away from home, especially in summer camps, that bring him to his conclusions.

PRESENTER:Michael Thompson: The heart of Dr. Thompson's work is lecturing to parents, teachers and students about the development of boys, the social lives of both boys and girls, the parent-teacher dynamic, school culture, how to raise responsible children, and the psychological journey of children through school. He and his co-author, Dan Kindlon, wrote the New York Times best-selling book, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys.   He is the author of Speaking of Boys: Answers to the Most-Asked Questions About Raising Sons   and co-author of Best Friends/Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Worlds of Children, Mom, They're Teasing Me: Helping Your Child Solve Social Problems, The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Achieve Success in School and in Life and his latest book, It's a Boy! is a comprehensive guide for the parents of boys. Dr. Thompson’s new book, “Homesick and Happy”, is  about children’s experiences away from their parents,when they are at summer camps or years abroad to remind parents that children grow and change when they are away from home.  Dr. Thompson is a resident of Arlington.