ARTICLES
A selection of articles with useful parenting hints and tips
Easy to read and informative articles by Caroline Penney, author of The Parenting Toolkit
IS IT POSSIBLE TO STAY SANE AS A PARENT?
Is it possible to stay sane as a parent ?
Parenting is tough, it can be exhausting, emotionally draining and is unremitting but it can also be the most rewarding thing you have ever done. The intensity of love can be overwhelming and no one can ever prepare you for the life change that happens once you have a baby.
The most important thing is to stay sane and you can do that by looking after yourself. This is not as easy as it sounds because you often have very little time once you have young children. However making sure you see friends, do some exercise, try to sleep enough, eat food that you like, spend time with your partner .Try to remember what you liked doing before you had children, and see if you can still find time to do some of them. It is not being selfish because then you will feel much happier in yourself and do not become resentful of the children.
FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS' WORKSHOPS
Course Topic: Understanding children’s behaviour and helping them gain confidence.
I enjoyed learning about the stages of child development.
It was brilliant to practice active listening.
I was not aware of how labelling children can affect them so this was very helpful.
I enjoyed learning about how to give descriptive praise.
I found the specific topics on the neuroscience of the brain fascinating and how to use language to stop problems escalating
The session gave loads of useful ideas tips and practical examples of how to respond to difficult behaviour
I like being able to talk to Caroline and other parents about issues and how to deal with difficult behaviour and also knowing everyone else is going through the same issues
LIKE LOTS OF PARENTS WITH SMALL CHILDREN, I FOUND PARENTING CHALLENGING...
...I wanted the children to be happy all the time, and was upset when they were angry, disappointed or sad. I could not understand it when they did not listen to me. I found having to make and keep boundaries difficult. I did not want to shout. I wanted to be calm and considerate at all times. The reality of parenting came as a big surprise. The intensity of emotions, both positive and negative, was overwhelming, the exhaustion and also the feeling of somehow repeating unhelpful patterns from previous generations. I did not want to become the critical parent, and pass on some of the family scripts from my upbringing. However, it is difficult not to repeat patterns like this, especially if you are under stress. I decided then to do a parenting course and luckily a friend was running a Parent Link course in her home, close to me.
LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF AS A PARENT IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE...
... because you have such a responsibility for bringing up the children.
All parents feel guilty sometimes We blame ourselves for responding wrongly to our children and torture ourselves worrying that we could have done it better.
However being a parent is never easy, and children have their own path to follow which might be completely different to how we imagined it.
The saying that a parent can only be as happy as their least happy offspring is a truism that has stood the test of time.
Different stages of parenting bring different stresses, so looking after yourself is important.
THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS CAN BE STRESSFUL...
... the relatives, food to prepare and organize, cold weather, presents to buy, packing the car, driving round the country, cold weather and now even endless Brexit conversations and arguments.
It’s not surprising that many people feel overwhelmed and exhausted and somehow the Christmas message gets completely lost.
Here are a few ideas to help manage stress over this intense period:
Focus on becoming aware of our own feelings by thinking about the physical sensations we’re having. This helps to stop us from reacting unthinkingly to events. Many people are not aware of the level of stress we’re under, and then crack when something quite minor happens because it puts us ‘over the edge’. The Christmas holidays are very stressful, so if we’re also working, and have financial worries or other family problems, life can seem very demanding.