Introduction

As an author, speaker, and educator, Dr. Fritzemeier, Ed.D., links her extensive education and authentic experiences. This is her 11th year as a restorative practices in schools trainer and consultant. She facilitates seminars and workshops for K-12 educators and trains school site staff in implementing restorative practices. She also offers parenting workshops for parents of school-age children and parents of adolescents.

This video features Dr. Fritzemeier sharing ideas and strategies designed to help parents.

Dr. Fritzemeier combines her enthusiasm and creativity with real-life applications and engages her audiences with hands-on, interactive, multi-modality strategies and techniques.

Use the navigation in this section to learn about the topics available. Use the “Speaking Request Form” to ask questions or submit an invitation for Dr. Fritzemeier to speak at your event.

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Parents of School Age Children

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Topics for Parents of School-Age Children

The Friendship Factor

What kinds of friends do you want for your children? There are many ways parents can influence their children’s friendship choices. Parents explore:

Benefits of friendships;
Developmental milestones of friendships, ages 5 to 10;
Friendship groups, including children at risk.
Handout: Books on School-Age Friendships.
Optional: Small group discussion.

Behavior Guidance for School-Age Children

My first grader calls girls names. My third grader loses recess time for classroom misbehavior and lies. My fourth grader taunts neighborhood kids and refuses to complete chores. My fifth grader is…well, you get the idea. Learn what’s behind children’s behavior and practical tools that work. Highlights include:

Common school-age behavior challenges;
What doesn’t work;
How choices and decision making can improve behavior;
Increasing self-regulation; and
Effective strategies, including: natural consequences, withdrawal of privileges, ” when…., then….,” and reinforcement.
Optional: Small group discussion.

Sex Education Begins at Home: School-Age Children

Is the way you learned about sex how you want your children to learn? When does sex education begin? How are you teaching your children about sexuality and sex education? Even today, many parents feel uncomfortable answering these questions. This session promotes parents/caregivers as the primary sex educator source from kindergarten through pre-puberty development. Topics frankly addressed include:

Tips for talking about sexuality and sex;
Ideas and resources on developmentally appropriate information; and
Laying the foundation for later sexual decision making.
Optional: Small group discussion.

Peer Pressure: The School-Age Years

Do you experience peer pressure? Most people do to one degree or another. So what’s peer pressure like for our children? This workshop begins by comparing peer pressure “then” and “now.” Peer pressure has changed dramatically since you were a kid and is beginning earlier. Parents/caregivers will explore:

Parental challenges with peer pressure;
What peer pressure looks like;
Reasons school-age children give in to peer pressure;
Ten parental roles in reducing negative peer pressure; and
Teaching children strategies to resist negative peer pressure.
Optional: Small group discussion.

“Your class on Peer Pressure helped me as a Christian parent to direct and guide my daughter when there are so many pitfalls in junior high and high school.”

Parents of School Age Children Topics Rev 7 20 2023

Topics for Parents of Adolescents

Parenting Adolescents: The “Happy Hormone” Years

Are you worrying about the adolescent years? Most parents do, but learning about this developmental stage can help reduce your fears and increase your understanding of the many wonderful milestones that await your adolescent. In this workshop, Dr. Fritzemeier shares ten tasks of adolescents. Successfully completing these tasks prepares your adolescent to enter the adult world confidently with the life skills necessary for living independently. Includes small group activities.

“I like to remain ‘in the dark’ and this class reminded me that doing that isn’t the best parenting method. I’d also like to say…thank you for being so candid with your own stories… it helps us a lot as new parents to know that we aren’t alone.”

Peer Pressure: It’s Not All Bad

What’s peer pressure like for adolescents today? It isn’t what it used to be. As our children enter adolescence and spend more time away from home, we have less influence on their busy lives. This talk features the effects of both negative and positive peer pressure as well as practical ways parents/caregivers can help teens resist negative peer pressure. Optional: Small group discussion.

Warning! Keep Off the Roller Coaster

Do you feel like you’re riding an emotional roller coaster with your preadolescent or adolescent? Caused by hormones and rapid physical growth, adolescents must deal with their changing emotions and social development. Find out how you can stay grounded during the ride of your life. Topics cover:

Strategies for helping preadolescents and adolescents explore their unique identity development;
Causes of conflict with parents and parental influence;
Peer relationships;
Functions of friendships;
Social skills; and
Dating.
Optional: Small group discussion.

“What Were You Thinking?”

How many times have you muttered, “What were you thinking?” Adolescents develop advanced reasoning as well as abstract thinking skills. They actually “think about thinking.” These powerful cognitive changes give parents/caregivers the opportunity to help mold their adolescents’ thought processes before they leave the nest. Discover why parents/caregivers and their children are more likely to argue during adolescence. In this workshop, you’ll also:

Define cognitive development;
Explore the stages of adolescent cognitive development;
Learn how these changes affect teens; and
Receive practical pointers for parents.
Optional: Small group discussion.

“What’s Happening to My Kid’s Body?”

Mention the word puberty and many parents/caregivers are terrified. Puberty is a rapid change in development and maturation involving hormonal and physical changes that take place primarily in the early adolescent years. This workshop equips parents/caregivers to know what to expect for both males and females. Content includes:

Factors influencing physical growth;
Typical sequence of pubertal development;
Developmental concerns for pre-adolescents and adolescents;
Challenges around early and late developing adolescents; and
Parents’ roles and responsibilities.
Handout on sex education resources available.

Promoting Abstinence in a Sex Crazed World

How did you learn about sex? Where are you in the process of teaching your adolescent about sexuality, sex education, and abstinence? This session promotes parents/caregivers as the primary sex education source from pre-puberty throughout adolescence. Ideas and resources about developmentally appropriate information, sexual decision making, promoting abstinence, and difficult topics are addressed with frankness. Optional: Small group discussion.

“Abstinence was a good reminder to be in constant conversation with your kids about sexual issues. This class was very informative and eye-opening.”

“But Everybody Else Is . . . “

Today’s adolescents view morals and values from a very different viewpoint than past generations. Helping adolescents embrace their own morals and values are keys for helping them transition into adulthood with solid beliefs. Key areas include:

Contexts of moral development: schools and parenting;
Adolescent decision making and risk taking;
Integrating character education into daily living;
Helping adolescents clarify values;
How volunteering and service learning facilitates moral development; and
Steps in moral training.
Optional: Small group discussion.

“I’m Not Sure About God Anymore.” Spiritual Development

Today’s adolescents are bombarded with a vast array of spiritual beliefs and religions. Helping adolescents embrace their own spiritual development and beliefs about God are keys to helping them transition into adulthood and “own” their faith. Content includes:

James Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development;
Five dimensions for spiritual development;
Contexts of moral development: both schools and parenting;
Keeping your teens involved in church; and
How significant others contribute to the foundation for making moral choices.
Optional: Small group discussion.

Letting Go

What are your memories of leaving home? Whether we want to think about it or not, our children will eventually leave our nests. Letting go actually begins long before high school graduation. Parents will receive tips for letting go when teens reach late adolescence. A “Declaration of Independence” for young adults is presented. Facing the realities of letting go and small group discussion questions answers the question, “Is there life after children?”

Speaking