Amy Norton
Parenting workshops
What: Family Matters’ five-part seminar based on The Blessings of a Skinned Knee
Who: Presented by Amy Norton
When: 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 and 17, April 3 and 17
Where: Wilf Jewish Community Campus, Scotch Plains
Cost: $30 for the series, including March 19 talk by Dr. Wendy Mogel
Registration: At www.jewishjerseycentral.org or call Kim Farrell at 908-889-5335, ext. 306
Author’s talk
What: Raising Self-Reliant, Optimistic Children in a Nervous World
Who: Dr. Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessings of a Skinned Knee
When: Thursday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Congregation Beth Israel, 18 Shalom Way, Scotch Plains
Cost: $10 (included in the fee for those taking Amy Norton’s seminar)
Registration: At www.jewishjerseycentral.org or call Kim Farrell at 908-889-5335, ext. 306.
February 12, 2009
Dr. Wendy Mogel, the author of The Blessings of a Skinned Knee, will speak in Scotch Plains on Thursday, March 19, but even before the acclaimed psychologist comes to town, local parents can begin exploring her teachings.
Amy Norton of Westfield, who has worked in various areas of human development, is presenting a series of five workshops based on Mogel’s book at the Wilf Jewish Community Campus in Scotch Plains. They began last week and will be held at two alternate times once every two weeks. About 34 people came to the Friday morning session, so that time slot is fully booked, but there is still space in the Tuesday evening workshops; the next one will be on March 3.
The series is part of the Family Matters program, a collaboration between the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey and synagogues in the community. The cost for the entire series, including Mogel’s talk, is $30.
As the subtitle of Mogel’s book says, her work draws on Jewish teachings on how to bring up children who are self-reliant and optimistic. Norton said the religious aspect has deepened her own interest in Judaism, but the lessons offered could appeal even to those who aren’t Jewish.
“Her book spoke to me like no other book I’d ever read about parenting,” Norton told NJ Jewish News. “A lot of the others left me feeling incompetent — that I would have to change so much to reach the standards they set. This book wasn’t like that.”
What Mogel says in The Blessings of a Skinned Knee, said Norton, “is very real, and doable. There is so much competition and stress in our lives, and she lets you take a step back and stop worrying, instead of striving to make every moment a perfect parenting moment. And that, I think, helps you be a better person — for your child, and for yourself.”
Norton, who has three children herself, ages 13, 10, and seven, has a master’s degree in child development. She is currently working at Children’s Specialized Hospital as intake coordinator of the Outpatient Pediatric Feeding Program.
In Westfield, just over a year ago, Norton founded a book study group that focuses on the ideas in Skinned Knee. “The amazing thing is that after all these months, we’ve still got so much to discuss,” she said. She has heard Mogel speak before and is eagerly looking forward to hearing her again on March 19, and having the chance to learn more about what she calls her refreshingly laid-back take on parenting.
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