A flexible and faith-filled approach to parenting children who question their faith — both in and out of the Gospel
Come and join our classes as we discuss the challenges of parenting children of all ages who, for whatever reason, are questioning and doubting their faith. We will discuss principles that can help steady ourselves as parents as we navigate these issues and relationships, no matter the age of your children — even if they have stepped away from the Church entirely. We will create a safe space where we can share our own stories, explore our own faith challenges, improve communication in our families, learn new parenting techniques, adopt anxiety management skills, strengthen our most important relationships, and find comfort and direction in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
2024 Class Schedule
October 3rd
Plan of salvation parenting —appreciating our God-given agency and the role it plays in our family life
Pointing to the imperfect lives of families in the scriptures, we will work towards greater faith in the Plan of Salvation and the eternal importance of choice. We will apply a developemental approach, defining and deciding ownership of our children’s choices and recognizing our unhelpful parental agendas.
October 10th
Coping with the loss and grief we experience when our children choose a different path
Grief comes in many different forms and is often felt as we mourn the loss of specific faith-related plans we had for our children and our families. We will discuss the losses we feel over the religious and cultural boxes left unchecked, how grief changes our hearts, and how we can find peace despite these unexpected changes.
October 17th
Eternal anxiety and worry - replacing fear of our child’s salvation with faith in God’s plan
Our society is full of enough worry and anxiety, but being fearful and anxious about the eternities brings it to a whole new level. Unfortunately, parenting from a place of fear rarely ends well — so we will discuss ways to shift our eternal parenting perspective to something more positive and learn coping skills for the anxiety that can take hold of our hearts and minds.
November 7th
Raising teenagers in the gospel by helping to reframe gospel principles in a universal light
Using examples like the Amish rite of passage, Rumspringa, we will discuss ways to reframe our gospel values through a more universal lens — to help guide our children who are resistant or no longer want to adhere to the standards of the church from a more positive place.
October 31st
How self-compassion can help us to be more Christ-like to ourselves as we embrace our children’s choices
Strengthening our own self-compassion — in other words, being kind to ourselves — can have the greatest influence over our own mental well-being and produce the most positive changes in how we show up as parents of wandering children. We will study the teachings of Jesus Christ and the works of Kristen Neff to deepen the compassion and acceptance we have for ourselves as parents in the Gospel.
October 24th
Recognizing and managing emotional triggers at church and in our faith community
There are often times moments in church or in social circles when we find ourselves emotionally triggered by comments made by others. Our bodies react, all sorts of emotions well up in our hearts, and unhelpful thoughts begin to whirl in our minds. We will discuss emotional triggers in our faith culture, how to recognize them, how to manage them and, most importantly, how to prevent them from triggering us moving forward.
November 14th
How to develop a faith-centered path for LGBTQ families — as parents or allies
This is a subject for a whole course unto itself — but hopefully all of the classes leading up to this one will at least partially speak to the unique challenges felt by LGBTQ families. In this class we will talk more directly about the challenges that are specific to the LDS LGBTQ community and focus on those things that have been most helpful in forging a new faith path and maintaining a hopeful, Christ-filled perspective.
Pam Caine is a Parent and Family Therapist.
I am a Parent and Family Therapist, Social Worker and Educator. My passion is to strengthen parent and child relationships through sharing our stories, utilizing our strengths, learning new skills and leaning into our faith.