| A parent, whether single or with a partner, is often | | | | proactive parenting is even better. |
| blamed for anything that goes wrong with their children. | | | | * EPT gives parents the opportunity to stop and look |
| Blame for the perceived wrongdoings of our children is | | | | at their home situation from a different perspective. |
| probably one of the hardest burdens that we as | | | | What were your goals when you started your family? |
| parents have to carry. | | | | EPT is a big step towards achieving those goals. |
| The truth is that parents these days are time poor and | | | | * EPT can help parents identify if they are working |
| their children are, more than ever before, influenced by | | | | with or against each other. How do they reach |
| many powerful outside sources. Most parents are | | | | consensus? |
| doing the best they can with the knowledge they have. | | | | * EPT provides guidelines for putting things into order |
| For the majority of people, this knowledge is based on | | | | at home - creating a 'bottom line', revisiting values and |
| how they were parented themselves. But times have | | | | establishing rules, boundaries and consequences. This |
| changed, what worked for their parents and for them | | | | step alone is critical. Too many rules become |
| as children may not work now for their own families. | | | | unworkable but rules and boundaries provide a |
| Many people find that relying on what they learned | | | | baseline for the whole family and a structure with |
| from their own experience isn't sufficient. | | | | foundations for feeling safe with everyone knowing |
| With just about everything that we do in life, we learn | | | | what is expected of them. |
| from our 'mistakes'. Some of our mistakes are easy to | | | | * Rules, boundaries and structure are meaningless to |
| move on from, others can last a lifetime and cause | | | | children and teenagers without loving, sincere and |
| untold heartache. | | | | effective communication. EPT will teach parents how |
| Most people are born with parental instincts so | | | | to listen and communicate effectively rather than |
| parenting does come naturally to a certain extent. But | | | | inflaming situations. |
| who among us can say that they have not made | | | | * EPT will assist parents in understanding what their |
| mistakes? The evidence of some of our hasty | | | | children need to experience in order to feel loved. Most |
| parenting decisions can be in the form of defiant, | | | | parents do try to show their love but do not |
| uncommunicative or sullen children and teenagers, and | | | | understand that what is perceived as love to one |
| these mistakes are not easy to live with. | | | | person may be quite different to another. |
| Is there a better way? Yes, there is. Learning to | | | | * Parents will understand how their children learn. Once |
| become an effective parent can save a great deal of | | | | again, because we are unique individuals, we all learn |
| heartache. | | | | differently. This understanding can provide the parent |
| Effective parenting is a learned skill and like just about | | | | untold and unique opportunities to help their children gain |
| everything else that we do, the more we practice | | | | confidence at school. |
| effective parenting techniques, the better and more | | | | With these tools and a firmer foundation upon which to |
| effective we become at parenting. | | | | move their families forward in a positive direction, |
| Effective parenting training gives us a better | | | | parents and their children will feel empowered. |
| understanding of the complexities of our family, the | | | | Children are resilient and forgiving and they do want to |
| pressures that our children face in the modern school | | | | feel the love their parents have for them. It is essential |
| setting, and the added pressure from part time work | | | | for their growth into healthy young adults. Where there |
| that many young people experience. It teaches us | | | | has been continuing conflict you can be pretty sure |
| how to listen, understand and communicate with our | | | | that some of those loving feelings have been lost. |
| children so that we do not make things worse, whilst | | | | They can be reestablished. There has to be at least |
| still understanding that every child, family and situation is | | | | one 'adult' in a situation to turn things around; someone |
| unique. | | | | who is willing to take the responsibility to get things |
| Can effective parenting training (EPT) help? | | | | moving in the right direction. |
| In short, effective parenting training takes some of the | | | | Beginning parents will probably have a good |
| guess work out of parenting and provides strategies | | | | understanding of some of the pitfalls in modern |
| and tools that can be used to create a more | | | | parenting - prevention is so much better than any cure. |
| harmonious home. If things are pretty good at home, | | | | |