Upcoming events on January 2, March 9.

As a mother of three young boys, I can use all the wisdom I can get to help me raise them into mensches. I’ve listened to a bunch of parenting podcasts and read books, but it always feels like there’s more work to do to become a better parent. I’m glad to see that my shul recognizes that feeling and understands that parenting today is challenging. It is looking to help the parents and grandparents of the community-at-large gain expert advice and insight into how to raise caring, kind, and self-assured children in this complicated world.

To that end, Ahavat Achim in Northeast Fair Lawn has engaged Dr. Nava Silton, noted psychologist and parenting specialist. She’s sharing her incredible insight with our community via a Zoom session and an in-person event. Our synagogue, especially our fast-growing community of young families, is so lucky to learn from her. Ahavat Achim is a spiritual home that values the emotional well-being of all its constituents. Silton’s “residency” is a by-product of our congregational goal to implement parenting and mental health programming that fosters a healthy mind and home, as a necessary basis from which to form a richer and more meaningful relationship with Hashem.

A few weeks ago Silton gave her first class in the three-part series on nurturing our children’s emotional intelligence (EI). EI is the ability to recognize and manage your own emotions and understand the emotions of others. Interestingly one’s emotional quotient (EQ) is an even stronger predictor for success in life and career than IQ. But whereas IQ is fixed, EI can change and improve. High EI results in more friendships, greater confidence and self-esteem, greater knowledge of strengths and weaknesses, better conflict resolution, stress and anxiety management, and better decision-making.

Silton suggested strategies we can use at home, such as modeling positive emotions and behaviors and playing games with our children. How children experience winning or losing is a great lesson in EI. We can help our children verbalize their emotions and teach them tactics to calm down. Discussing “what would you do” scenarios and role play is a wonderful way to support their EI growth even at the dinner table.

For those who missed her initial talk, you can still benefit from her wisdom and insights by joining our community for Silton’s upcoming sessions. On Tuesday, January 2 she will speak about “Grit / Effortful Perseverance” on Zoom, followed by an in-person event on Motzei Shabbat, March 9 when she will tackle the topic of creativity. With her guidance, we can become better-equipped parents to more self-aware, empathetic, resilient and innovative children.

Visit ahavatachim.org for registration details and information regarding other upcoming events for young families and beyond.