Diane Thompson, a mother of three, went to the McDevitt Middle School looking for reassurance last night.
"Two of my kids go to McDevitt," she said. "They are entering that age (of adolescence) and I basically wanted to see if everyone was dealing with the same issues."
In an auditorium packed mostly with mothers, two police officers and some school officials, a presentation entitled "Helping Your Adolescent Make Good Choices" was offered last night.
Topics explored adolescent development, ways of supporting independence in teenagers, peer pressure and bullying.
Anne Marie Carr-Reardon director of student support services for Waltham public schools, kicked off the presentation.
"It's very important for you to get some tips," she said. "And to realize that you're not alone as you muster your way through the next few years."
Margaret Hannah of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, located in Boston, led those gathered on an informational journey through the growing minds of adolescents.
"As an adolescent, the years between 10 and 15 are the most rapid growth spurt in a person's entire life," she said. "They can't help but having unpredictable and changing behavior."
During the presentation, Hannah told parents to think of their parenting as similar to an air traffic controller.
"Your child is the airplane," she said. "You have to keep your child or your airplane on your radar screen at all times ... I heard air traffic controllers are amongst the most stressful jobs ever and that's why I chose it as an analogy."
Hannah warned parents they should not only get to know their children and their friends, but their friends' parents as well.
During the group interaction segment, parents said their main concerns regarding their children included issues of peer pressure, respect, sex and cultural conflicts.
"I worry about being too over protective," one mother said. "What's the balance? I struggle with that."
Hannah encouraged parents to give undivided attention to their children and always ask questions to clarify things, not criticize them.
Most importantly, she encouraged parents to think of the "bottom line" of what they want from their children.
"There aren't going to be any easy solutions," Hannah said. "This is a really, really, really hard time to be a parent."
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com
