***DISCLAIMER***
The following information is free for use and compiled from many sources. Some of these sites and videos link to youtube. While we will do our utmost to ensure the links are active and non-offensive, please be advised to click on links or embedded objects with caution. Ms. Shows is a certified facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich Program, one of the resources utilized. Anyone interested in the P/E program may send an email requesting more information to Ms. Shows.
There are many stressors involved with parenting: work and school conflicts, unexpected and/or chronic illnesses, finances, changing family dynamics… even the daily grind can affect the entire family, wearing away little-by-little at each individual. We’re going to address these stressors, behaviors that need addressing from both the parent and the child, and we’re going to discuss the parent’s responsibility to look at child-raising as more than just another job. Our hope is to help you, the parent, engage and connect with your child(ren). So grab a piece of paper (a notebook or a printer and a ream of paper) and a pen, curl up with a good cup of tea or coffee and your computer, and let’s get to work.
Priorities
The first area we’re going to look at is that of priorities and setting goals to achieve new, different priorities. We’re not going to talk “should” – what a parent should do or how to be a perfect or even a better parent. We’re going to discuss how to be a different parent. So the first thing we do is look at priorities. And we’re going to look at your hopes, not your expectations, but your HOPES in being a parent.
For me, I hope to be a more engaged and connected mom, one who listens to her daughter’s stories and helps her become a finisher – finishing her stories; and I hope to become a playful mom, one who will pull out the Barbies, sit on my daughter’s bed, and play without thought of time or embarrassment at what I’m doing because I’m playing with my daughter. So take the next few minutes and write out or print out the priorities questionnaire. (You may need to click on it to see it clearly and to print it out.)