Bestselling parenting author Jessica Lahey will speak at the Alden Theatre in McLean on Monday, Nov. 16, offering parents and caregivers strategies for raising more independent, resilient children.

The Safe Community Coalition is hosting the 7 p.m. event at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. It runs until 8:30 p.m.

The program, titled "Engaged, Competent & Fulfilled: Raising Empowered Kids in a Culture of Anxiety," will cover strategies for fostering independence and stronger family connections while addressing risks including anxiety, substance use and gambling among young people, according to the event's registration page.

Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. The second book won the Research Society on Alcohol's Media Award, according to her press kit.

She has written about education and parenting for The Washington Post and The Atlantic and ran a biweekly column at the New York Times for three years.

Before her writing career, Lahey taught for 20 years in grades six through 12 at both public and private schools. She spent five years teaching in an adolescent drug and alcohol rehabilitation program and three years as a prevention and recovery coach at an inpatient detox center in Vermont.

Advance tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students (suggested age 13 and older). Tickets at the door are $25 for all attendees.

A grant from the McLean Community Foundation is funding the program, according to a Patch listing posted by community member Mary Gonzalez. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit future Safe Community Coalition programs.

Residents can register through the Safe Community Coalition's Constant Contact event page.

Upcoming

  • Monday, Nov. 16: Jessica Lahey, "Engaged, Competent & Fulfilled," 7 p.m., Alden Theatre, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students in advance; $25 at the door.