By Staff Writer Taleena Nadkarni
The organization ParentsMatterToo has piloted Conversation Circles, an initiative allowing parents of high school students to speak with each other in a safe environment.
The idea was created as an outlet for parenting concerns after the nine heroin overdoses in 2012, according to ParentsMatterToo Project Coordinator Diane Overgard.
“[ParentsMatterToo] believes so strongly that parents need each other for support,” Overgard said. “We want every family in Naperville to feel like [these conversation circles] are for them.”
Each circle, consisting of approximately 8-12 parents, meets at various locations around Naperville for a minimum of three sessions, Overgard said. Every session consists of a set curriculum, covering topics such as family values, trust, and relationships.
According to Overgard, a team of local experts including guidance counselors, therapists, life coaches, and pastors designed the curriculum for each conversation circle.
“For parents to be the authority on the issues happening in their kid’s life is essential,” Overgard said. “We hope that the family dynamic will deepen and get stronger.”
Naperville North High School Principal Kevin Pobst, who is on the steering committee of ParentsMatterToo, believes that the organization can be trusted to effectively help families in the community.
“I think the most healthy thing that can happen for families is to be in conversation with other families about the challenges of raising healthy teenagers,” Pobst said. “The more information that families exchange, the more likely they are to be successful.”
Pobst said that encouraging openness and communication is vital to the family dynamic and will only affect students in a beneficial way.
Pam Seubold, NNHS nurse and member of the ParentsMatterToo steering committee, also agrees that communication is key in regards to raising teenagers.
“I think we are missing out when we are not communicating with each other,” Seubold said. “No one person can know everything there is to know about a teenager.”
To register for a Conversation Circle or to learn more information, visit parentsmattertoo.org.
