Our Wildwood, Winter 2017, Volume 40

I’D FOUND MY SO WHAT Wildwood’s particular brand of parent education intentionally bonds parents to other parents in a unique way and that helps parents connect to themselves and the content, too. Every session reminds them that they are not alone. It allows them to take risks, to lean into their discomfort and insecurities, to be vulnerable, and to grow. It’s because parents connect with other parents that learning becomes internalized. Eileen Landay, a retired professor of education at Brown University, states plainly and often, “Learning is a social act.” We can easily transfer this mantra to parent education. Consistently, the parents

our children’s privacy and independence while making it clear there are boundaries? At what point do I reach out to other parents about their children’s habits? Are my kids doing their homework or are they noodling around? How am I supposed to monitor the “time suck” my children experience on their devices when I can’t properly monitor my own? Eighth-grade parent Rob Solomon said, “The recent parent technology evening was a great opportunity for parents to speak openly and honestly about the challenges, fears, and anxiety we all are facing in this rapidly evolving frontier.” He reflected on the evening and the powerful connection between parents it created, “It was comforting By taking care of themselves as parents, they can more effectively guide their children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development—especially when the ride’s bumpy.

who are active participants in Wildwood’s parent education program experience the power of learning that is social to the core. In three separate evenings this fall, parents of 6th graders, 7th graders, and 8th graders convened at Technology Parent Partnership meetings to share their fears, hopes, and strategies around issues that their 11 to 14-year- olds face or are about to face. Parents grappled with one another. They reflected. They posed questions: How much is too much monitoring of my kid’s text messages? How do we honor

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