The Value of Parenting Supports
A couple of years before I decided to have a child, I relocated from Upstate New York to Oregon. My greatest concern about being in a new place as a new parent was how I could get the social support and practical information I needed to become the best parent that I could to be. That’s when I discovered some local parenting groups that were available to me.
In these parenting groups, which were designed for families with young children, I found a sense of belonging, my struggles were normalized, and I got to share the many joys and challenges of parenting with others going through similar experiences. For many years now, I have cherished the friendships that grew out of those early group connections, and we’ve celebrated our children (who have become amazing young adults.) It does indeed take a village!
What to expect
Parenting groups are often put together by family-centered organizations and are run by Parenting Educators. Parenting Educators facilitate parenting groups for families to explore what they want and need on their unique journey. In addition to guiding the group through meaningful activities and supporting topical discussions, the facilitator can also offer information on other local resources families may want or need.
As new parents we were asked by our facilitator to name our values in a guided activity. Knowing our family values helps us to focus on the important things in our everyday interactions as we parent our children. We visualized our children growing up into adulthood, and imagined the types of experiences, skills, and knowledge they could have by the time they got there. The beauty of this exercise is that as a diverse group of parents we can each choose what we value and learn how to achieve our goals through our family practices and daily routines.
In our parenting group we also focused on the benefits of adult self-care and stress management, so that we can communicate and connect with our children in nurturing and responsive ways. We explored the importance of understanding and meeting the child’s needs at different developmental ages and stages, and adjusting our approach for individual differences in temperament. We examined ways to build strong parent-child relationships, connect using the power of play, and offer positive guidance and discipline strategies to help our children learn and grow in healthy ways.
I’m grateful for the parenting groups I participated in over the years. I treasure the information I gained from the content offered and the way other parents were there for me. My wish for all families is to find a way to engage with others and have meaningful connections that help us thrive.
As a parent, I do not believe that we are meant to raise our children alone.
Resources
For families living in Lane County, here are some of the local parenting resources available to you. Check out a parenting class or family resource today!
Aoife Rose Magee, PhD, earned a doctoral degree in Special Education from the University of Oregon Early Intervention Program. Her personal and professional interests have been largely focused on the social-emotional development of young children and how positive parenting and teaching practices may contribute to healthy development, promote resiliency, and mediate risk factors. Aoife is professional development specialist for students and practitioners in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education and Parenting Education. Aoife serves as a Master Trainer for the Oregon Registry and frequently provides community based and private workshops for early childhood educators, parenting educators, and other professionals. For more than thirty years, she worked directly with families as a parenting educator, and she is a former Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative Hub Coordinator for the Parenting Success Network. She currently teaches as a full-time faculty in the Early Childhood Education Program at Lane Community College. She is also the mother of a fantastic young adult son and enjoys nature and creative pursuits in her spare time.