For years now groups of La Plata County parents have been growing in their skill as parents through a series of classes called Growing Kids God's Way.  This seventeen week video based course has been presented at the Durango Christian Church.

Growing Kids God's Way is a practical course based on the belief that the goal of parenting should be to raise morally responsible children.  Through this class parents gain insights into parenting styles and are provided with an effective alternative to the authoritarian, permissive, child centered, and democratic parenting styles most often used by today's families.

With Growing Kids... parents learn about:  Teaching their child moral and practical reasons behind proper behavior; How to nurture relationships in the family by practicing the five languages of love; Dads learn about their role as builders of family identity and the importance of trusting relationships; Participants study the development of their child's conscience and the elements that make up character development.

Issues surrounding discipline are presented over several weeks of the Growing Kids...curriculum.  To the surprise of many, obedience in a child is found to be more dependent on parents than on their child's temperament.  Parents learn to use wisdom in guiding each child's skill development, encouragement in proper behavior, and correction of wrong behavior.  Growing Kids... even provides answers to age-old problems of whining, tantrums, lying, cheating, tattling, and teenage rebellion.

A new session of Growing Kids God's Way will begin September 2010.  Jon and Tiffany Alsdorf will be leading this series of Growing Kids..., their fifth since beginning in 2000.  The first meeting is introductory and will be held at Durango Christian Church at 3rd Ave. and 11th Street dates and times to be announced in Auguest.  The introductory meeting is free; however there will be a charge for those who decide to take the class to cover the cost of materials.  There will be no childcare provided at this meeting.

Growing Kids God's Way is intended for couples, single parents, and blended families.  If you would like more information, call Jon Alsdorf at 247-1929.