Parenting Programmes & Courses

 Parenting programmes & courses provide advice, strategies & tools to parents to foster confident, responsible and resilient children.

Really?!!! – Parenting Programmes 

Parenting Programmes. Imagine you’ve just landed your best job ever, you’re really excited, but also very nervous.  They were so lovely at the interview, especially your boss, they have a great in-house training programme. Plus they’ve made it abundantly clear that there’ll be no huge expectations on you immediately. Not until you’ve had a chance to settle in and learn the ropes anyway.  Happy days!

But no, this new super job you’ve just landed is that of becoming a parent!  It comes with no company manual, no trial period, you are propelled straight into the role. It is probably the most important role you’ll ever have without so much as an instruction pamphlet!  What can possibly go wrong?

The enormity of the parenting task:

Fortunately, the enormity of this role is now universally recognised and parenting classes are available to get you ‘parenting savvy’. But why should you do a parenting class?  Well, there are a number of reasons, but before we look at them, let’s first of all take a look at what exactly parenting classes are.

Early Years support:

If you are awaiting the arrival of your first baby, you are perhaps tipping, sometimes erratically, between excitement and overwhelm.  What if you get it wrong?  What do you need to know?  How can you learn it all?  Where do you even start?  Parenting classes are designed to answer these pressing questions and more.  They will educate you on how to take care of babies, toddlers, and teens. This will leave you feeling more confident and better supported in your parenting choices.

Practical advice tips and tricks:

Parenting classes provide advice, strategies, and tools on how to raise children. They provide an opportunity for parents to share ideas and concerns with other parents going through similar issues.  They are not necessarily merely instructive. However, they can provide an important support network for parents. Parenting programmes offer many kinds of useful information ranging from childcare to healthcare issues.

Knowing what to expect at developmental stages:

They can teach you everything you need to know about raising your child. You discover what you should expect as your child develops through their many stages. Also, you will learn what you should do throughout these stages, helping you understand your role as a parent better.

These classes can help you deal with daily parenting issues and problems. Parenting programmes also help you understand why problems arise and if your experience is normal or may require professional help.

So, now we know what they are, let’s explore some great reasons to go take those classes:

Confident parents’ confident children:

• Learning to be an effective and confident parent can be fun. This is especially so when you find yourself in the same boat as other new parents! There is so much to learn and so many different developmental stages.  Good preparation can be key to producing competent, capable, confident, responsible and resilient children/young adults.  As with many things in life, being adequately prepared helps reduce anxiety. It’s no secret that confident parents tend to raise confident children.

Peer support network:

• Being part of a ‘pack’ feels good. Knowing that you’re discussing issues with others who understand your concerns and have had similar experiences helps us feel better.  We don’t feel so isolated and we can feel connected.  Being catapulted into the world of parenthood can be lonely, knowing you are not alone with this feeling is reassuring.

Parenting tools:

• Parenting with the right tools lays foundations for better relationships in the future. On the journey to adulthood,  your child will pass through many different stages, some easier to contend with than others!  However, having a well equipped tool box will give you an indisputable advantage for life’s many curve balls!

Up to date approach to parenting:

• The information used in parenting programmes is constantly updated. Subsequently,  it is based on the most recent research available. Therefore, with major breakthroughs in the knowledge of child development in recent years, this, in itself, is invaluable. Sometimes instinctive parenting can deliver the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. Motivation researcher, Carol S. Dweck,  has found that when children are told that they succeed because they’re smart, they become disillusioned when they struggle with something.
• Parenting classes are a place of support and knowledge. The last thing a parent wants to feel in times of struggle is judged, but advice and support will always be welcome.

Different perspectives:

• No one knows your child as well as you do but often a different perspective can help.

Adapting your parenting style:

• No two children are the same. Just because a particular approach worked with your first child, it can be good to understand that often parents also experience differences in siblings. Adapting your parenting style to the individual personality of your child can halve your child’s tendency toward depression or anxiety. This is according to a study by  the University of Washington. However, using the wrong style can double the likelihood that they’ll become depressed or anxious.

Pave the way for an easier time in the teenage years:

• You will reap the benefits of building solid foundations and setting boundaries. These will build the infrastructure for the challenging years ahead through effective parenting. Again, build that toolbox!

Revamping the toolbox:

• Sometimes when we come unstuck we can draw on learned parental behaviours that don’t serve us well. Learning new skills takes time and dedication but the rewards are worth it.

Nurturing respectful family relationships: 

Parenting classes are designed to create respect between parents and their children. They teach effective parenting practices along with nurturing development and responsibility in your children. Being a member of a family can often be like being the member of a team. Everyone needs to know their position and what’s expected of them in order to pull together constructively.

Reaping the rewards of parenting classes:

Embarking on the role of a parent is as alien as it gets for those starting down the path. Equipping yourself well at the outset will enable you to embrace this most spectacular of jobs with confidence and excitement.   Time invested in enhancing your skills and competencies in your parenting and putting them into practice, no easy feat. It will reap many rewards over the years and payback will be more rewarding than you can possibly imagine!

So, if you’re preparing for this spectacular new role and are ready to start the learning process, get in touch and let the adventure begin:  Parenting-coaching

Margaret Gilbert    Life Coach                04/12/2020