THOMASVILLE- Parenting can be a delightful, challenging and heart-wrenching journey. It can often cause parents and guardians to feel overwhelmed and sometimes lonely. Luckily, authors, speakers and counselors David Thomas and Sissy Goff help out parents on their journey.

Thomas and Goff will be headlining a Parenting Conference set to take place at First Presbyterian Church, located on E. Jackson Street, on Friday, Oct. 20- Saturday, Oct. 21.

Thomas and Goff have more than fifty years of experience counseling kids and families. Additionally, they’ve written 17 books and hosted a podcast titled “Raising Boys and Girls.”

Thomas is the Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tenn., where he has co-authored bestsellers including Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach. He has been featured on numerous national television programs and podcasts and has appeared in The Washington Post and USA Today for tips on parenting.

Goff works alongside Thomas at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, where she is the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling.

Since 1993, Goff has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be, both as individuals and families. She has published 13 books of her own, including her most recent work Brave for teenage girls.

The duo stated that they love getting to share what they’re learning on a daily basis from their work with kids of all ages. Through sharing, they are able to help parents care for the kids in their lives with “a little more understanding, a little more practical help and a whole lot of hope.”

The conference drives that mission home. The Raising Boys & Girls seminar will have two sessions, aiming to help parents in all seasons of life.

The first session, entitled Intentional Parenting focuses on children looking to their parents in hopes of discovering who they are. Thomas and Goff will use their time to discuss how to parent out of love and not of fear, respond rather than react in frustration and parent children with all the love, mercy and intentionality with which God parents His children.

The second session will take place on Saturday morning from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and is entitled Raising Boys and Girls.

Thomas will use his expertise to help parents understand and explore the hearts, minds and ways of boys and the vital role parents play on the journey from boy to manhood. Goff will help the parents of young girls understand the different stages of development for girls; what is normal, what is not and how to relate effectively to their daughter. Together, Goff hopes parents will learn what it means to call out the unique identity of the child they love.

The conference is open to all parents of kids of all ages and stages. However, childcare is full and currently closed. The cost for the conference is $30 for an individual and $50 per couple.

Those interested may register and purchase tickets online at fpcthomasville.com/parentingconference.