Strengthening Families Program at Carlisle YMCA: Survive and Thrive Through the Tween Years!
Parenting tweens is not for the faint of heart. One moment, they’re your sweet little kid, and the next, they’re a walking bundle of mood swings, sarcasm, and mystery odors. If you've ever found yourself wondering, “Is my child just tired, or is this a full-blown existential crisis?”—you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t have to figure it out by yourself!
The Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth Ages 10-14 is here to help you navigate this wild, unpredictable phase with confidence (or at least fewer deep sighs). This free 7-week program at the Carlisle YMCA provides practical tools to help families strengthen communication, build trust, and guide tweens through the maze of peer pressure, friendships, and emotional ups and downs—all in a fun and engaging way!
What to Expect
📅 Dates: Spring and Fall sessions available (upcoming spring dates to be announced soon!)
📍 Location: Carlisle YMCA
🍽 5:30 PM - Free Family Meal (Because let’s be real, food makes everything better.)
👩🏫 6:00-7:00 PM - Parent & Tween Breakout Sessions
- Parents: Learn how to set boundaries without sounding like a broken record.
- Tweens: Gain skills to navigate friendships, peer pressure, and future goals.
- Everyone: Laugh at how dramatically different your perspectives are.
🎲 7:00-8:00 PM - Fun Family Activities
Because bonding should be more than just you nagging them to clean their room.
✨ Bonus: Free childcare for younger siblings! Expect lots of gym time, giggles, and energy-burning play.
Why You Need This Program
✔ It works! Research-backed strategies help strengthen family relationships.
✔ You’ll get practical tools. No fluff—just real strategies for real parents.
✔ It’s fun! (Yes, really.) Even the most reluctant tweens end up enjoying it.
✔ Free dinner + free childcare = A total parenting win.
Sign up now and join a community of parents who get it—because let’s face it, we could all use a little backup in this stage of parenting.
Business Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This program is like parenting magic!"
When we signed up for the Strengthening Families Program, I had no idea what to expect. At best, I figured we’d get a free meal. At worst, I’d spend two hours listening to my tween perfect his eye-roll game. What we actually got? AMAZING.
Not only did I find myself surrounded by other parents who actually understand the chaos of raising a tween, but my kid? He left smiling (a rare phenomenon) and with an actionable plan for his future. Meanwhile, the younger siblings had the time of their lives in childcare—running, laughing, and burning energy like they just discovered sugar.
This program is a must for any parent of a tween. The sessions were engaging, insightful, and—dare I say—fun. I walked away with new strategies, new parent friends, and a renewed sense of hope for surviving the tween years.
If you have a 10-14-year-old, sign up. You won’t regret it. Plus, free dinner. 🎉
