Free Event: Child Psychology Expert to Speak in Melrose On Thursday

Is the K-12 phase of our lives stressful?

Well, little kids can be mean because they don’t know any better. Older kids in middle and high school can be mean on purpose. So there’s all that, plus academic expectations, plus the newfound and terrifying self-awareness that kicks in right around the eighth grade.

So it sure is!

Fortunately for Melrose parents, teachers, and high schoolers hoping to alleviate their scholastic community’s collective anxiety, they can attend a presentation and book-signing by Michael G. Thompson Thursday at Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School Auditorium.

Thompson has penned nine books on child psychology, including “The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success In School and Life” and “Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys.” Probably not coincidentally, “Raising Cain” inspired a PBS documentary executive produced by Melrose resident Tug Yourgrau, who will introduce Thompson on Thursday evening.

The event is expected to run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30, and happily, admission is free.

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