A flexible and faith-filled approach to parenting children who question their faith — both in and out of the Gospel
Come and join our classes as we discuss the challenges of parenting children of all ages who, for whatever reason, are questioning and doubting their faith. We will discuss principles that can help steady ourselves as parents as we navigate these issues and relationships, no matter the age of your children — even if they have stepped away from the Church entirely. We will create a safe space where we can share our own stories, explore our own faith challenges, improve communication in our families, learn new parenting techniques, adopt anxiety management skills, strengthen our most important relationships, and find comfort and direction in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
2024 Class Schedule
4-week In-person Course
121 N. Washington Street - Naperville
October 24th
9 - 11am
Plan of Salvation Parenting
Appreciating our God-given agency and the role it plays in our family life
Pointing to the imperfect lives of families in the scriptures, we will work towards greater faith in the Plan of Salvation and the eternal importance of choice. We will apply a developmental approach, defining and deciding ownership of our children’s choices and recognizing our unhelpful parental agendas.
We will also discuss ways to reframe our gospel values through a more universal lens - to help guide our children who are resistant or no longer want to adhere to the standards of the church from a more positive place.
October 31st
9 - 11am
Loss and Grief
Coping with the loss and grief we experience when our children choose a different path
Grief comes in many different forms and is often felt as we mourn the loss of specific faith-related plans we had for our children and our families. We will discuss the losses we feel over the religious and cultural boxes left unchecked, how grief changes our hearts, and how we can find peace despite these unexpected changes.
Also, using lessons we learn from the Japanese art of repair, kintsugi, we will explore ways self-compassion can help us to be more Christ-like to ourselves as we embrace our children’s choices.
November 14th
9 - 11am
Eternal anxiety and worry
Replacing fear of our child’s salvation with faith in God’s plan
Our society is full of so much worry and anxiety, but being fearful and anxious about the eternities brings those emotions to a whole new level. Unfortunately, parenting from a place of fear rarely ends well — so we will discuss ways to shift our eternal parenting perspective to something more positive and learn coping skills for the anxiety that can take hold of our hearts and minds. We will also summarize what we have learned in our four sessions and how we can move forward with more flexibility and faith in God’s plan and in our children’s agency.
November 7th
9 - 11am
Emotional Triggers
Recognizing and managing emotional triggers at church and in our faith community
There are often moments in church or in social circles, when we find ourselves emotionally triggered by comments made by others. Our bodies react, all sorts of emotions well up in our hearts, and unhelpful thoughts begin to whirl in our minds and sometimes we behave in ways that don’t serve us or others well. We will discuss emotional triggers in our faith culture, how to recognize them, how to manage them and, most importantly, how to prevent them from triggering us moving forward. We will discuss what it’s like to show up fragile and how we can work towards being in our faith spaces with greater comfort and strength.
Pam Caine is a Parent and Family Therapist.
I am a Parent and Family Therapist, Social Worker and Educator. My passion is to strengthen parent and child relationships through sharing our stories, utilizing our strengths, learning new skills and leaning into our faith.
Class Location.
Grow Therapy. Suite 2N
121 North Washington Street, Naperville IL 60563
The building is on Washington Street, but the parking lot is behind the building and you will enter the lot off of Douglas Ave