Who knew that parenting would be so hard?
Well, there’s help in the Amarillo area. Amarillo and Canyon Independent School Districts and the Council of Parent Teacher Associations hosted the 19th annual day-long seminar on Parenting: The Underdeveloped Skill. Downtown Amarillo Civic Center housed more than 45 exhibits and 60 classes with Amarillo College CUEs offered. If that’s not enough, a catered lunch was provided; child care for the evening sessions and door prizes were added incentives.
Topic choices covering just about every concern were offered, including:
- “Trauma for Your Mama”
- “Child Abduction”
- “Goodness Gracious, I’m a Parent – What Do I Do Now!?”
- “Use Stress, Don’t Be Abused By It”
- “Boost Your Preschooler’s Brain Power”
- “Fathers Matter”
- “Divorce Through the Eyes of a Child”
- “Anger: Where Does It Come From and What Do I Do With It?”
- “Youth Sports – What Do We Do With the Parents?”
The Thursday, March 9 conference, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, was packed with vital information for parents of all ages, especially new and future parents. Reinforcing the importance of parenting were such exhibitors as branches of the Amarillo and Canyon Independent School Districts, Fire Department, Cancer Society, Camp Fire USA, Early Childhood Intervention, Girl Scouts, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, SafeKids, Poison Center and Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation.
With the help of Local Outreach Coordinators Fernando Martinez and Joyce Cunningham, Texas Bicycle Coalition’s Bike-Ridin’ Betsy and Paco found relatives at the seminar. No, they weren’t there to attend parenting classes. They were exhibitors as Betsy was. But Betsy came away the big winner. Exhibitor Awards were given for Most Informative, Most Eye-Catching, Most Creative, Most Educational, and Best Display to increase exhibitor enthusiasm. Betsy carried home the Most Interactive Award as she rode her bike out the door that evening with a big smile on her face as usual.