EFFECTIVE
PARENTING WORKSHOP
MAY 2006
In the past, parenting was considered an honorable and permanent career. As a matter of fact, it was – and still is – the only job from where you can’t get fired and you can’t resign. It is the only job that requires no qualifications and no interview is conducted prior to your appointment. It is also the most important work that you will ever do.
The words heard “You are pregnant” are generally followed by the spoken words “I am going to have a baby”. Very few individuals integrate this news with the realization that they are going to be parents. Having a baby suggests an acquisition while being a parent indicates the performance of a function. These are two very different approaches that can have either devastation or immortalization as a consequence.
Psychologists tell us that 80% of what we ever know is adsorbed in the first 7 years of our lives. It is during this pre-school period that the foundation of our lives is laid, getting us ready for the ‘building’ process in the education system. One only has to page through the newspaper to realize that no education system can repair the damage done in the early years of a child.
When I became a parent 23 years ago, I was terrified. At the time, I was 26 years old, had a good job, a reliable car and was renting a flat. The husband, the home and the children were somewhere out there in space – on standby - for in case I changed my mind. My ideal life fell apart – not because I was going to have a baby, but because I was going to be a parent. A task that I was not equipped to handle. I needed help – urgently.
We cannot give to our children what we don’t have. A child’s needs cannot be met by a needy parent and I was very needy. Being a pro-active person, I immediately set out to learn the rules of this new ‘game’ and took to parenting like a cat to water – struggling to do the right thing at the right time. I made and corrected many mistakes and today I am like a duck in water – parenting young ones and fulfilling the role of primary Mother to one and secondary Mother to many.
I am in a position to pass this information and experience on to others who are battling with this enormous task. It is done in a two-day workshop and is structured to accommodate both mom and dad. In certain cases, child minders can be employed to keep an eye on the kids while parents are attending the course.
Workshop dates: 20
& 21 May 2006 Cost: R1000 pp
17 &