Positive Parenting The Young Child

November 2013

For parents of HRC clients ages 1-5 years.

It is 6Pm on a Tuesday, and we are all sitting in a circle in the comfortable setting of the family center. The group which consists of moms, dads and the HRC early childhood specialist, are listening and responding to many questions, comments and stories relating to the ever changing world of parenting.

Being parents of young children we have so many questions: “what can I do to get my son to brush his teeth?”, “what do I do when my toddler has a meltdown in public?”, “What is the key to “time out”. Sitting in a room with other parents of toddlers and preschoolers, where all questions are good and the answers come from a variety of sources, helps us put our concerns into perspective. One mother told me, “it gave me a chance to rethink the way I use time out”

How many of us take the time to think about parenting? We are parents, we love our children, but the “how to” and the “what to do” get lost in the” just getting it done.” Who has time to think about parenting while you are in the midst of parenting!

Many topics are explored in the five weeks we have together. Preventative ideas like setting limits, creating routines and being consistent are all strategies everyone can agree upon, but whether to use” time out” or other methods of discipline, or taking No out of your vocabulary are more vigorously discussed due to differing views. Much of these differences come from the type of parent you are: permissive, moderate or harsh, and your child’s temperament. We explore that too.

Taking the time to think about how we parent is an important part of being a thinking, positive parent for our children. Giving ourselves the time to step aside and look at what we do makes us more consistent, more positive and allows us more time to just have fun with our children! When we take this time and connect to other parents we gain a new perspective and learn new strategies to help us through the tough times. We also gain the confidence and the realization that we are truly the expert on our children. We know them best.

Come join us for a 5 week parenting class that uses the STEP curriculum, called Positive Parenting the Young Child. The next session will be offered in Long Beach beginning Tuesday May 6th . Call Kathie to get more information and/or to register 310- 792-4597.