Join us for an author event with OSU Assistant Professor Shauna Tominey and her new book: Creating Compassionate Kids: Essential Conversations to Have with Young Children. Along with the a discussion of her book, Shauna has a recommended list of books for parents to share with their children, including books about all sorts of feelings, nontraditional gender roles, race, ethnicity, and diversity, the body, finding your own voice, and more!

If you had to choose one word to describe the world you want children to grow up in, what would it be? Safe? Understanding? Resilient? Compassionate? As parents and caregivers of young children, we know what we want for our children, but not always how to get there. Many children today are stressed by academic demands, anxious about relationships at school, confused by messages they hear in the media, and overwhelmed by challenges at home. Young children look to the adults in their lives for
everything. Sometimes we’re prepared… sometimes we’re not.

In this book, Dr. Shauna Tominey guides parents and caregivers through how to have conversations with young children about a range of topics-from what makes us who we are (e.g., race, gender) to tackling challenges (e.g., peer pressure, divorce, stress) to showing compassion (e.g., making friends, recognizing privilege, being a helper). Talking through these topics in an age-appropriate manner—rather than telling children they are too young to understand—helps children recognize how they feel and
how they fit in with the world around them. This books provides sample conversations, discussion prompts, storybook recommendations, and family activities. Dr. Tominey's research-based strategies and practical advice creates dialogues that teach self-esteem, resilience, and empathy: the building blocks for a more compassionate world.

This event will include a presentation, opportunity for questions and interaction, and light refreshments. This event is FREE to attend, but we ask that you please register here.

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Shauna Tominey, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor of Practice and Parenting Education Specialist at Oregon State University in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. In her current role, she serves as the Principal Investigator for the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, an initiative to provide high-quality parenting education to Oregon families. Previously, Shauna served as the Director of Early Childhood Programming and Teacher Education at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. As a former early childhood teacher and family service professional, Shauna blends practical experience with research to develop and test programs aimed at promoting social- emotional skills for children and the adults in their lives. Over the past five years, she has conducted more than 100 workshops for educators and families and has been an invited keynote speaker for numerous local and national conferences.