The Journey of Positive Parenting: Nurturing Resilience and Compassion
As a mother to three remarkable, brilliant, compassionate, and spirited children, I am very aware of the wonderful yet excruciatingly challenging journey; that is parenting. Parenting is truly like a marathon, filled with challenges that tests us to the core, yet also rewards us with moments of profound joy and pride. As our oldest son Jackson approaches his 18th birthday, and what society would say is his transition into adulthood, I find myself reflecting on whether my husband and I have prepared him for the many complexities of the world.
Even in the most challenging times, my husband and I have remained steadfast in our commitment to use positive parenting strategies. Instead of resorting to some of the ways we were raised and to break generational trauma in our families, we have chosen open communication, empathy, and mutual respect as guideposts for our parenting. By approaching difficult situations with patience and understanding, we've created an environment where our children feel safe to express themselves and learn from their mistakes. Through active listening and constructive guidance, we've made it our goal to empower our three little humans to develop essential life skills such as problem-solving, resilience, and self-regulation. These efforts have not only strengthened our bond as a family but have also equipped our children with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of adulthood with confidence and compassion.
“We have chosen open communication, empathy, and mutual respect as guideposts for our parenting.”
Through my research in supporting our students who are teenage parents, within the TREC HOPE Program, I have found a lot of evidence endorsing Positive Parenting, highlighting the benefits families have achieved by purposefully adopting this approach to parenting. A recent article I came across, "What is Positive Parenting? 33 Benefits and Examples," by Heather S. Lonczack, Ph.D. and Tiffany Sauber Millacci, Ph.D. provides a great overview and explanation of Positive Parenting as well as encouraging and healing outcomes from the children who had been raised with this parenting approach. You can read the takeaways from the article on my recent blog post. Please feel free to share with someone who could benefit from the insights.
190k+ Students Become Teen Mothers Every Year and only 50% Receive a High School Diploma by Age 22
The HOPE program is an inspiring needs-based resiliency program that supports teen's parenting in so many ways. This TREC program exists to create a child-friendly and supportive environment where our teenage and adult students who are pregnant or parenting can be successful in their educational and parenting journey. We provide a safe, personalized learning environment, which includes one-on-one attention, flexibility, connection to community resources, and workforce, college, and career planning. The HOPE program provides curriculum, child-friendly areas, support groups, and material resources for parenting teens and their children.
I like the attention they give. Even if you are not seeking it, they always make sure you're good. Your family's good, your kid's good, whatever they could help with, they do”
— Andrew Diaz, HOPE Parenting Student
You can read more about the learning outcomes in the HOPE program and download resources here:
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! It is with great pleasure that we celebrate our TREC teachers! These caring individuals, trained in trauma resilience, provide their students with the additional support and compassion they need to help them be successful at school and beyond.
Check out our social media this week for our teachers' stories!
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