Workshops to Address Family Communication

They may be more meaningful than the traditional Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts of flowers and ties.

And you also might end up with a priceless present for yourself: improved communication skills.

That’s the goal of the “Just For Us” workshops that will be offered at the Skirball Cultural Center on Sunday for women and girls, and June 17 for men and boys.

If you think these two-hour programs sound too touchy-feely for your taste, seminar producer Carole Isenberg promises good stories, tears, and even comedians.

Sunday’s 10 a.m. session for females 16 to 90, Isenberg said, will “open up with a comedian who spoofs Mother. Totally skewers Mother. I think you have to be totally irreverent. We need to poke fun at ourselves.”

Also scheduled is a discussion by a panel that includes the author of “Mothers of Difficult Daughters,” an executive from Columbia-Tri Star, the founder of a theater company, and the head of the dance department at CalArts in Valencia.

Just as the role of motherhood has changed, Isenberg said, the June 17 session for males will explore how dads must meet the pressure to “become closer to the center of family life, rather than just the distant provider, the one who occasionally metes out punishment.”

Since dads often have an aversion to Sunday activities, the men’s event is at 7:30 on a Thursday night, she said. It, too, will open with a comedian who will explore the travails of being a father.

The men and boys’ panel will include: Stephen Johnson, founder of the Men’s Center in Woodland Hills, and Armin Brott, a single dad and author.

Both workshops are for participants of all backgrounds and faiths, says Joana Fisch, Skirball spokeswoman. “It’s about learning about what comes before us and what comes after us. This is a nice way for generations to connect.”

Admission is $10 general, $8 for Skirball members and $6 for students for each seminar.

The Skirball Center is at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, just south of Mulholland Drive. Call (310) 440-4500.