Seminar set to warn parents, teens about committing now-illegal acts

A Columbia County judge will be in Wilkes County next Monday and Tuesday to warn parents and teens about now-illegal acts that they may not know are criminalized.

"Teenage Years 101" is a seminar series that was created by and will be presented by J. Wade Padgett, Chief Magistrate Judge of Columbia County.

The free event next week will have separate sessions for parents on Monday, November 5, and for teens 13 - 19 on Tuesday, November 6, both in the W-WCHS cafeteria beginning at 7 p.m. each evening.

The idea for Teenage Years 101 was born from Judge Padgett's decade on the bench, hearing cases involving teenagers and their parents, said organizer Sissy Murray. Statistically, many children will become victims of crime or will be accused of crimes during their teenage years, she said, due in large part to the changing status of the laws concerning teenagers.

The Teenage Years 101 seminar series has been presented to audiences of both teenagers and parents with a goal of educating both teens and parents about now-illegal acts that they may not know are criminalized.

"The Judge speaks with his robe off during the seminar series," Murray said, "to ensure that the seminar participants will understand the law, so that if they ever see him with his robe on in a courtroom, they will all have received fair warning of the pitfalls that exist for teens."

The Judge presents different seminars for the adults and for teens, hoping to talk to parents of teens in a frank way as a parent of a teen himself, but then talking to the teens in a way that is frank, honest, and at times, graphic.

"The seminar will hopefully generate discussions between parents and teens about the issues," Murray said. "Judge Padgett doesn't intend to act as a surrogate parent for anyone, but to simply give parents and teens more tools to assist them in communicating with each other on very serious issues."

For more information or to ask questions, call Sissy Murray at 706-678-9244.

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