Support group for parents formed

All local parents of school-age children are invited to join Parents Helping Parents, a free support group that meets once a month at Poe Middle School in Annandale. The next meeting is June 17 at 7 p.m. There will be babysitting, translators, and light refreshments. Enter at door 2.

The group was started a couple of months ago by Sheila Kyer, a parent who also participates in the Annandale United Methodist Church’s partnership with Poe. Members of that church and others in the area that provides free dinners to Poe students.  and Amanda Sperling of Poe’s after-school program.

The group isn’t restricted to Poe parents. Anyone with a child in elementary, middle, or high school can come to the meetings.

“This group will offer you the opportunity to talk about raising children, seek and offer advice to others, and talk about any other parenting issue that may come up,” Kyer says. Topics at previous meetings included restricting children’s access to online material and Fairfax County’s options for changing school start times. Kyer would like to invite outside speakers to future meetings.

“I am just a parent wanting to help other parents,” she says. “I want this to be a place where parents don’t feel alone. They can come and just listen if they don’t want to speak. We want parents to walk away with peace of mind. We just need to work together to help ourselves so we can help our children.”

The group will continue to meet throughout the summer. For more information contact Sheila Kyer, 703-981-6080 or [email protected], or Amanda Sperling of Poe’s after-school program. [email protected].