Earlier this week, parenting expert Dr. Karyn Gordon visited the PLASP programs in preparation for her upcoming keynote speech at our Annual Parent and Community Meeting, on Monday, October 21^st, 2013 at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.

Dr. Karyn visited with toddlers in our Early Learning and Child Care Centre, shared a snack with children in the Full Day Kindergarten after school program and then joined our school age children for some arts and crafts.

PLASP staff enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the best-selling author, whose parenting advice is frequently sought after by Good Morning America, Cityline TV and Breakfast Television.

PLASP was fortunate to spend some time with Dr. Karyn after her visit with the children. In a one-on-one candid interview Dr. Karyn shared some of the most popular questions she’s often asked by parents and the challenges that they face daily in raising their children. Here’s a sneak peek of what she had to say:

“The role of parents with younger children is an extremely difficult one,” she shared. “By the time your children are teenagers, the seeds have already been planted – you get to step back and observe what you have helped to cultivate. But when they’re smaller, you’re planting the seeds and that’s where the hard work is.”

So what’s the secret to successful parenting? According to Dr. Karyn, a lot of it has to do with empowering our children and not micro-managing them. “It’s about working with our children and teaching them to be their own advocates.”

For a lot of parents it’s easier and takes less effort to simply solve our children’s problems rather than let them figure it out themselves. But there’s a lasting effect to that, Dr. Karyn cautions, which results in children becoming overly-dependent, even as adults in their 20s and 30s. “Let’s instead teach our children the tools they need to stand up for themselves,” Dr. Karyn offers. “To navigate their differences and come up with creative solutions. They’re able to do it, they just need a bit of help in learning the language.”

Would you like to hear more about what Dr. Karyn has to say? If you’re a PLASP parent or staff, join us on Monday, October 21st for our Annual Parent and Community Meeting.  And for the first time, PLASP is inviting guests to choose the topic for the meeting.  We’ve selected the following six presentations from Dr. Karyn’s list that are geared specifically towards young families - cast your vote and let us know which one appeals to you the most!

• Motivating Your Kids
• Building Leadership in Your Kids
• Raising Healthy Kids in an Age of Overindulgence
• Teaching Empathy and Gratitude in Kids
• Bridging the Gap – Build a Thriving Relationship with Your Kids
• Lost in Translation – Strategies to Get Your Kids to Talking

Voting is open until Wednesday, October 2, 2013.

(Please note that this event is for PLASP parents and staff only and a ticket will be required for admission.)

Do you have a parenting question? Post it here, on our Facebook page or on our Twitter feed and we’ll share your questions with Dr. Karyn!