In The Spirit of Family

The WHYY Children's Service has a history of creating events that serve to educate, enlighten and inspire parents on topics pertaining to early childhood issues. These family-focused events have reached nearly 1,500 families and have covered such topics as raising children bilingually, how children learn through play, new ways to resolve anger and bringing music into the lives of children.

Building on the success of these programs, WHYY Children's Service introduced a series of quarterly panel discussions entitled In the Spirit of Family that addresses social, emotional and physical development of the family to a broader audience. At the same time, the Children's Service has teamed up with a respected authority on family issues, Dr. Dan Gottlieb from 91FM Voices in the Family to host this new series.

Panel Discussion Topics for the 2007 - 2008 year include:

The Universal Language of Grief
(November 29th, 2007 - Airdate To Be Announced)
WHYY's "In the Spirit of Family" discussion series presents a unique look into violence, its effect on families, and grief. Moderated by psychologist Dr. Dan Gottlieb, host of Voices in the Family this panel will offer guidance for other families affected by violence and advice for those hoping to get involved in anti-violence activism.

As murder rates in Philadelphia reach an all-time high, three mothers from different cultural and religious backgrounds will speak about the losses they have suffered because of violence, and how they have coped with them. Dorothy Johnson-Speight of Mothers in Charge, Sherri Mandell of The Koby Mandell Foundation and Kathleen O'Hara, counselor, author and activist, lost their sons to violence.

This panel will address the topics of grief and loss from different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds but also explore how these women found common ground through the universal grief of losing a child. Dorothy is an African American Christian woman, Sherri is a Jewish woman living in Israel, and Kathleen is a Catholic white woman from the Philadelphia area.

All three women have been advocates for other victims of violence as a result of their own losses in their families and have dedicated parts of their lives to healing the deep wounds in our communities and bringing awareness to the rights of victims of violence.

Archive

Monitoring Kids' Media
(November 26th, 2007)
Are you worried about your kids spending endless hours online, putting personal information and pictures on their MySpace profiles, instant messaging friends, or chatting with perfect strangers? Why do they love the internet so much? Is it a place to be themselves, to be creative and "hang out" with friends, or is it a dangerous outlet for sexual predators, and a place where kids reveal too much information about themselves? Dan Gottlieb and his guests will discuss the advantages and limits of new media technologies and explore how parents and educators can instill critical medial literacy skills.

Children and Mental Illness:
(September 17, 2007)
When a child has a mental illness, the entire family is affected. Parents struggle to get an accurate diagnosis, as well as treatment options that work. Dan Gottlieb and his guests will discuss what options are available for children affected by mental illness, how their parents can find the right treatment, doctors, and schools for their children, and how family members can support one another.

Siblings: Adult Children, Adult Relationships
(July 2, 2007)
The dynamics between siblings and parents change as we age. How can adults nurture the relationships they have with their siblings without repeating potentially destructive patterns of childhood? How can siblings come together with each other to take care of aging parents and address their changing relationships with each other and their parents? Dan Gottlieb and his guests address how families change over time, how siblings an grow closer and redefine their relationships, and what they can do to prepare for changes in the family as parents age and they face important thresholds in life.

Learning Differences and Children's Temperament»
(November 1, 2006)
How does a child's temperament relate to any learning differences they have? How does temperament affect learning and how can you understand your child's temperament? How well does the environment a child is in fit the child's temperament and does it allow for learning differences.

Depression in the Family »
(December 19, 2005)

Aging, and Caring for our Elders »
(August 15, 2005)

Communicating with Teens »
(May 9, 2005)

Mindful Parenting: Managing Stress in the Family »
(January 24, 2005)

Siblings of Children With Special Needs »
(November 8, 2004)

Spirituality and Moral Development in the Family » (6/2/04)

The Diverse Spectrum of Parenting » (4/7/04)

The Special Needs Child » (1/22/04)

Combating the Era of the Overscheduled Child » (10/29/03)