They rolled their eyes as only two worldly adolescents can do.
“What are you learning now?” they asked while examining the sheet I had tacked to the kitchen wall.
“Your mother and I are learning to speak to the heathen adolescent.” A little humor never hurt in diffusing the intense sincerity of the Long household. In truth, we were participating in another STEP parenting class, a refresher for us. Our first exposure to the approach of Rudolph Dreikurs had truly helped us. Communication with our young sons improved.
Then one day we noticed that the children were gone, leaving in their places two teens. Most parents of adolescents feel that they need a refresher course. Just when you thought you were getting the hang of that parenting job, ZINGO!, the child metamorphoses and you need to relearn the job. And so Kathy and I found ourselves participating in another STEP class. It helped again.
Maybe it helped us because we were doing something—anything—to improve our skills. Maybe it helped our sons because they could see, from the new sheet weekly tacked on the wall, that their parents were interested in communicating with them. But I do think that the skills presented and practiced actually did make a difference in our lives.
Bill Zajic offered a STEP parenting class at Post Oak in the fall. ies. I recommend it to you. Those evening hours are precious, I know, but this is truly an investment that will result in an improved quality of life for you and your children.
