Duxbury’s The Parent Connection begins a four-week workshop today with nationally recognized parenting expert and author of the book “Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment,” Lynne Griffin. The goal of the workshop, “Parenting 9-1-1,” is to turn family conflicts into discussions. According to Griffin, family life has never been more challenging considering such external pressures as an uncertain economy and the Internet pervading the home and creating more stress.

“When parents are stressed, they fall back to more reactive parenting and children understand that, but they look to their parents for more sense of calm,” said Griffin. “I also think parents are less secure in their own abilities to parent. They question themselves, they don’t listen to gut instincts. And there’s more parent to parent pressure, too, which in turn has parents not trusting their own instincts about what’s right for their child.”

This isn’t the first time Griffin has visited Duxbury. ML Nichols, the president of the non-profit The Parenting Connection, which seeks to foster healthy relationships between parents, children and educators, said there’s a very good reason she’s been invited back again and again.

“Lynne Griffin is the Dr. Phil of parenting,” said Nichols. “She helps boil your issues down to the simplest form and then gives you strategies that really work. Parenting 911 is a great hands-on workshop for any parent looking for answers to everyday problems -- back talk, siblings who won’t stop fighting, screen time limits or basic communication with teens. Come with questions - Lynne has answers.”

Over the course of four workshops, Griffin, the parenting expert for Fox-TV, will discuss strategies to influence children’s behavior and predict and prevent challenging behavior so that parents may forge a stronger bond with their children.

“Proactive parenting is always better than reactive parenting,” said Griffin. “Parents need to learn to stop reacting and start responding, to anticipate their children’s issues and understand that all behavior tells a story.”

The Parent Connection along with Berrybrook School will host the series starting today at the Duxbury Student Union from 9:30 - 11 a.m. For more information, visit theparentconnection.org.