Parenting Workshops Help Parents Help Themselves

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs and many parents need help in managing their family life. Parenting workshops offer parents the opportunity to learn new strategies and concepts about parenting that they can use in their everyday family life.

Parenting workshops, like any other workshop, include different sessions on different topics such building strong relationships between children and parent, between siblings or between children; early childhood parenting such as dealing with children’s fears, helping parents adjust with separation, or starting school.

Many parenting workshops also help parents deal with children who have learning and/or emotional difficulties. These workshops are especially helpful because parenting children with special needs can be twice as hard so many need all the help they can get to manage their family life well.

Parents of adolescents and teenagers also experience a greater deal of frustration and stress because, as we know, children at this age bracket tend to distance themselves from parents, question authority, and are naturally curious and impulsive. Parenting workshops that help parenting teenagers educate parents to help them understand what their teens are going through and how to best approach or communicate with them.

Families who are going through a conflict such as separation or divorce can also get counseling through parenting workshops as well as education about children’s right and family law. Moreover, parenting workshops not only increase parents’ knowledge and skills on raising their children but at the same time develop confidence in them as parents and reduce everyday stress.

Aside from discussions and presentations on important parenting issues, parenting workshops feature videos and other media resources on a variety of parenting topics. Many parenting workshops are free but there are also groups that organize workshops for a fee and by request, customized to the needs of a specific group, for instance, single parents.

Generally, parenting workshops are conducted once a week for four to six weeks, depending on the organizer. If there is no one else to look after the child while the parent or parents attend the workshop, they can look for those that offer child-minding services.

Before attending parenting workshops, you can check the specific content of each session to make sure they will be useful to you and also check the qualifications of the people providing the workshop. The organization should be composed of qualified professionals who are well-trained in family and/or child development and, ideally, parents themselves.

Milos Pesic is a single father and expert in the field of Parenting who runs a highly popular and comprehensive Parenting web site. For more articles and resources on parenting, teen parenting, step parenting, parenting classes and much more visit his site at:

=>http://parenting.need-to-know.net/

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Co-Parenting After Divorce - Learning How to Parent With Your Ex-Spouse After Your Divorce

As a divorced parent, it's essential to grasp the fine points of co-parenting. Some of you may thinking, "What the heck is co-parenting?" It's a term created to describe divorced parents continuing to parent their children together.

This is a lot easier said then done. Divorced parents are rarely the best of friends. Downright dislike isn't too off the mark for a lot of couples. Part of the conflict you experienced in your marriage could have included differing parenting styles. Well, just because you're divorced doesn't mean you don't have that conflict anymore! If anything, it can intensify because there's a lot more you're angry about now.

While both of you have separate homes, remember your children have to travel between these. They have to understand what is expected from them in both situations. Irregardless of the negative feelings you may have toward your ex, it's important that the two of you find SOME way to work together when it comes to raising your beautiful children.

The following are things to consider in creating an effective co-parenting plan:

1) Accountability in each home is essential

2) It's not important that your rules be identical in each household, but common themes make it easier on your children.

3) Agree not to bad mouth the other parent's parenting choices in front of the children

The goal is for the two of you to work together. This can be challenging when you're both hurt and angry at one another. Be sure to never use your children and parenting them as a way to "get even" with your ex. It's only your children who get hurt.

For more great information on life after divorce, I'd like to invite you to visit us at http://www.RemarriageSuccess.com

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If you are having a difficult time managing your anger at your ex and it's interfering with your ability to co-parent, learn how to move forward with our special report, "I'm Just So Mad! Dealing with the Anger of Divorce." Get all the details about this resource at http://www.RemarriageSuccess.com/somad.htm

From Alyssa Johnson at RemarriageSuccess.

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It's time for parents to take back control

When I talk to parents about parenting, I get the sense we are in the midst of a struggle. Is parenting harder today? Why is it harder? How can we make it simpler?There is a difference in family life today versus 50 years ago. Fifty years ago, families were influenced more by church, neighbors, community and the time they spent together.

Today, there is more influence on families coming from outside their homes and neighborhoods by TV, the computer and other media outlets. Information keeps bombarding families at lightning speed. For two working parents, time together has become restricted. And children are participating in more activities outside their immediate neighborhoods than they did 50 years ago.Meanwhile, our homes have become self-sufficient entities.

We can be connected to the world, friends and relatives from a chair in front of our computers. With the emphasis on TV, computers and the Internet, the time and the necessity to be involved with other families has decreased.At the same time, marketing to children is in full swing, empowering them to influence family decisions. Parents' authority has diminished, and kids know it. Kids are in control. Even the messages obtained from computer games and TV give children the feeling of having it all and deserving it.

How can parents win any struggle in this era of the empowered child?Parents do have power and need to exert the right to be in control of their house and their kids. Here's how:

* First, recognize that what your child gets from you is a privilege. You can control the number of privileges your child earns, and yes, they should earn them. Too many kids get things without earning them just by saying, "Everyone else has it!"

* Maintain a set of rules for your household. Children need clear sets of rules, and parents need to exert control by being the people who set the rules.

* Demand respect from your children. Disrespect means loss of privileges.

* Stop yelling. Yelling shows weakness and loss of control. You may then feel guilty and make decisions for your children from this place of weakness. By staying in control, you command more respect and exert more control over your children.

* Decrease TV exposure and computer time. These empower kids and give them the sense that the world is at their pleasure. The fewer advertisements kids see, the less they feel they just "can't live without" the latest and greatest thing.

* Make sure you have family time every week. Do an outing together. Eat meals together. Family time won't always be perfect. But the time together provides a sense of belonging, and a sense of togetherness that kids really need.

* Get together with other families without the electronics. Share meals, talk and play games. Community teaches children about friendship. It teaches them about other families. These lessons don't come on their iPods or Facebook.

* Hold your children responsible for their schoolwork and chores. They need to work to improve themselves as well as for the greater good of the family. If you give them responsibility for their school and home duties, you have a greater sense of control.

Parenting styles have changed. We can no longer just be the authoritarians in our homes. But, we can still maintain a sense of control. We can develop our own parenting style.Read some parenting books. Get some parenting DVDs.

Think about your parenting. Kids may feel empowered, but they still need strong and secure parents. With some effort, you can learn to be secure in your parenting role and feel that parenting is less of a struggle.