Father-Son Waupaca Class Covers Physical, Emotional Changes of Adolescence
Talking about puberty can sometimes be an awkward topic between dads and their kids. “Some dads tell me they’ve talked about this issue before, others have not,” said Dean Sondrol, a physical therapist at Riverside Medical Center, who teaches the class. “But they all realize they should be talking about it too. We’re helping the dad and boys know that things are changing, and improving communication with each other will help them through these changes.”
“Especially for Boys: What’s Happening to Me?” will help fathers and sons wade through topics on physical and emotional changes during puberty, including acne, body hair, body odor and voice deepening.
There is also focus on communication between boys and their fathers, said Sondrol. “A lot of it is very interactive with dads and sons,” he said, noting they will do activities which show that boys and dads do things differently. “The big thing I really want out of this is that the boys and dads will communicate instead of going to friends and the computer for answers.”
Sondrol said the computer is very misleading so fathers need to watch their son’s computer use. “You need to watch where they’re getting information from,” he said.
The class is scheduled for Sat., Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to noon at Riverside Medical Center. The class is intended for boys ages 9 – 12. The fee is $20 per father/son pair. Please register the teen’s name only. To register, call ThedaCare Central Scheduling: 920-738-6521 option 1, or visit www.thedacare.org.
Riverside Medical Center is a 25-bed acute-care, critical access hospital located in Waupaca. Riverside Medical Center has previously been rated among the “100 Top Hospitals™” in the United States by Solucient, Inc. Riverside Medical Center was founded in 1955 and employs more than 300 people, making it one of the five largest employers in the area.
ThedaCare™ is a community health system consisting of five hospitals: Appleton Medical Center, Theda Clark Medical Center, New London Family Medical Center, Shawano Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca. ThedaCare also includes ThedaCare Physicians, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and ThedaCare at Home. ThedaCare is the largest employer in Northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,175 employees. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
