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Grandparenting: Expectations vs Reality

Join us from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m., March 3, for a virtual workshop featuring Keynote Speaker: Barbara Unell Journalist, Author, Educator

Cost: FREE

Pre-registration required

Presented by: Beth Torah, Beth Shalom, HBHA, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, Ohev Sholom, Rabbinical Organization of Greater Kansas City, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, and The J

Register On ZOOM

(After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)

Description:

Congratulations, you are a grandparent! It’s so exciting, and an event you likely have been looking forward to for a long time. Will this new experience bring challenges, as well as joy? Absolutely! Join acclaimed journalist, author and educator, Barbara Unell as she shares an easy 3-step consistent approach to collaborative, supportive family relationships that turn those challenges into opportunities of resilience and respect.

Workshop Format:

Keynote and opportunity for Q&A
Breakout session pre-selected: see below for options
Interactive sessions encouraging participation through Q&A

Breakout Session Options:
  1. A Drama-Free Cure for Today’s Behavior Blues
    Facilitated by Barbara Unell
    Join in this feel-good session to find your comfort- and confidence-zone with your grandchild’s behavior in today’s new oh-so-stressful world, where play, school and everything else feels unpredictable. Check into the online tool, Behavior Checker®, with one of the creators, Barbara Unell. Get your behavior questions answered and see, up close and personal, how this tool helps lead to healthier relationships and enhances the lifelong mental, physical and emotional health of adults and children.
  2. Navigating Complex Family Relationships in your Role as Grandparent
    Facilitated by Kathleen Halling JFS therapist
    Explore ideas for negotiating roles and boundaries with your adult children. Gain insight in why boundaries matter and how to work together to strengthen your relationships by keeping communication open.
  3. Engaging with Your Grandkids: Creative Ways to Connect in Person and Long Distance
    Facilitated by Judy Jacks Berman, Director of Early Childhood Education, Congregation Beth Shalom
    Are you looking for fun things to do with your grandchildren? Judy will share ideas and demonstrate activities to make your time with your grandkids special and help you create long-lasting memories.
  4. When your Grandchildren are not Being Raised Jewish
    Facilitated by Rabbi Beryl Paddor, Congregation Ohev Sholom
    Join this thoughtful discussion about the unique challenges faced when your grandchildren are being raised in a different religion. Is it ok to share your Jewish customs and values? Can you still celebrate Jewish holidays together? Explore how to find acceptance of their choice while staying true to your Jewish heritage.
Presented by Barbara Unell:

Journalist, adjunct professor, parent educator, and social entrepreneur for the past 40 years, Barbara is the co-founder of many local and national publications, including the first national magazine for parents of multiples, TWINS Magazine, and the first local city magazine for families, Kansas City Parent, both of which are reaching a new generation of families today; and the co-founder of novel, institutionalized community-based programs in health, learning and behavior, including Behavior Checker®, Baby Buffer, Uncle Dan’s Report Card, LEAP!, Synergy Services’ Kindness is Contagious…Catch It! and the Blue Valley School District’s Sunflower Ambassadors.

Barbara is also the co-author of 17 books, including the international bestseller with Jerry L. Wyckoff, Ph.D., Discipline with Love and Limits, translated into 27 languages with over 1 million copies sold. She founded the first grassroots national nonprofit organization to champion personalized breast cancer survivorship medical care, Back in the Swing USA, in 2000; and in 2016, co-founded The Raised with Love and Limits Foundation and its signature tool, Behavior Checker®, dedicated to preventing adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress currently affecting over 35 million children across socio-economic lines, putting them at high risk for health, behavioral and learning problems.

A devoted mother and grandmother, Barbara is a proud graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and lives in Kansas City with her husband, Robert, and their Westie, Lucy.​

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Upcoming Events

Mar
3
Wed
11:30 am JFS Grief and Loss Group
JFS Grief and Loss Group
Mar 3 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Meets first and third Wednesday The ongoing support group is for individuals grieving from the death of a loved one. The group provides an opportunity to address issues of loss and grief within a Jewish[...]
7:00 pm JFS Grandparenting Virtual Event
JFS Grandparenting Virtual Event
Mar 3 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Grandparenting: Expectations vs Reality Join The J Kc on March 3, from 7 – 8:00 p.m. for a virtual workshop featuring Keynote Speaker: Barbara Unell Journalist, Author, Educator Cost: FREE Pre-registration required Presented by: Beth Torah, Beth[...]
Mar
8
Mon
3:00 pm JFS Virtual Happiness Habits
JFS Virtual Happiness Habits
Mar 8 @ 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
This Happiness Habits Wellness Series is a free and ongoing half-hour program in partnership between JFS, the Kansas City Public Library, and the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition. The half-hour program is at 3[...]
Mar
11
Thu
4:00 pm JFS Community Food Drive @ JFS Brookside
JFS Community Food Drive @ JFS Brookside
Mar 11 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
The Jewish Family Services Food Pantry needs your support to help those facing food insecurity. Monthly the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City and area congregations host food drives to help stock the two locations[...]
Mar
15
Mon
3:00 pm JFS Virtual Happiness Habits
JFS Virtual Happiness Habits
Mar 15 @ 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
This Happiness Habits Wellness Series is a free and ongoing half-hour program in partnership between JFS, the Kansas City Public Library, and the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition. The half-hour program is at 3[...]
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