S.O.S. Parent Support

Outgrowth of Parenting Classes, Survival Skills for Healthy Families, has lead to monthly parenting support sessions.

Survival Skills for Healthy Families, a 6 session parenting class, is taught by trained leaders at Lutheran Family and Children's services of Cape Girardeau. The skills are taught and practiced through lecture and role playing. Throughout the sessions participants practice three basic core skills. Speaking up to clearly say what they want, Listening to others, and Developing skills for Cooperation.

Once skills are used, participants say they see changes in their families. Thus, an outgrowth of these sessions is the development of a monthly Parenting Support Session, set for Thurs., March 26, 2009 at 5:30. Parents will receive additional parenting tips and encouragement to continuing using newly acquired skills. They will share what's working and what's not.

Participants received information that parents have two main roles: to be leaders and to be models. As leaders their jobs are to make the rules, stick together, and stay in charge. As models their jobs are to be encouragers. As models it is important for them to make time to be with, listen to, and to talk together with their children.

Participants are also learn that a child has two main roles in the family: to be someone and to belong. To be someone, children need to get good at something and learn to speak up, listen, and cooperate. Children's role of belonging includes bringing good things to the family, following family rules, and learning to talk over the rules.

Participants are taught that in healthy families the adults work together as a team. They build that team by knowing what they want, letting others know what they want, and working to get what they want. Other areas covered in the course include coping with changes in families, solving problems in families, and helping parents learn how to pass on their values to their children.

Interest in attending the support sessions or a series of classes, call 334-5866.

Comments from participants:

What I am doing differently: "Listening to what my child says because if they take the time to think about it, it must be important."

"This class has not only taught me a lot of things but has also helped me to realize what I can do differently to make my relationship with my children more healthy."

"I liked learning what steps that I need to take to teach my children how to be good at things and how to be somebody."

"The homework assignment was cool. I got to question my grandpa and learn things about him I always wondered but never had any reason or context to ask."

What did you find most helpful: "....it taught me healthy ways to work out problems that I've been having within my family."

Lutheran Family and Children's Services partners the St. Louis Healthy Marriage Coalition and with the Parent Education Committee under the Community Plan to provide the course. A schedule for Survival Skills for Healthy Families and other classes offered in the community, such as Building Strong Families, can be found on the monthly Successful Parenting Calendar, available at: http://communitycaringcouncil.org/calendars/parenting.pdf or at various Parenting Corners around town. The next session of Survival Skills for Healthy Families will begin in June 2009. Please call 334-5866 for more information.