ACTIVE PARENTING

Donna M. Albeke
Quinebaug Valley Community-Technical College
Soc.101.01
Spring '94


An important issue to most parents is how they can help their children grow into individuals who will be assets to society. The topic I chose is Active Parenting; because as some of us know, being a good parent is important but is also very difficult. However, there are routes we can take to learn how to be better parents.
The strategies that I came up with were:

TAKE A CLASS

Contact your child's school guidance counselor or social worker to find out if they are sponsoring a free active parenting course. In Moosup, CT, the school guidance counselor is Doreen Melanson and the social worker is Sue Montella; they can be reached at 564-6430. I am presently attending a six-week video and discussion program called Active Parenting Today. We are learning how to communicate with our children and to help them to develop their inner strengths, pride, and give them a true sense of responsibility. We are also learning "methods of choice" and discipline methods that really work to help eliminate power struggles. The goal of Active Parenting Today is to provide information and skills that will enable us to raise courageous, responsible, and cooperative children with high self-esteem.

ATTEND PARENTING WORKSHOPS

Your local United Services office can tell you where and when workshops will be offered in your area. Call Robin Miller or Joyce from United Services at 774-2020. United Services is located on Main Street in Dayville and Mansfield Avenue in Willimantic. Previous workshops held in March were:

According to Robin Miller, there are many workshop topics designed to provide understanding and knowledge of the many roles parents play.
"How to Help your Child Succeed With Homework?" is a free workshop for parents of children in all three Plainfield elementary schools. It will be held in April at the Shepard Hill Elementary School, presented by Carol Ann McKeag and Peter Boyer.

"When you let your child know how important homework is to you and that you care about his or her success in school, homework will be important to your child, too." Lee Canter, noted author on child behavior.

CALL INFOLINE


New, easy, toll-free number 1-800-203-1234
INFOLINE is a convenient and confidential way to find the parental resources you need; it is sponsored by a partnership if Connecticut United Ways and the state of Connecticut. You can also call any of the following numbers depending on your child's needs.

In the state of Connecticut there are also six major child support services provided by your tax dollars. Just call INFOLINE for the following information:

For more information about child support, call INFOLINE at 886-0516
or 774-7257.

GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL


Attending PTO meetings are the best way to find out the who, what, where, and whys of your child's education and school activities. Input from everyone is essential for an effective parent/teacher group. You may even opt to join the school Planning Committee where you too can have a say in the type of education your child will receive. Other members of the parent/teacher organization can benefit from your suggestions and ideas.

To find out when PTO or PTA meetings are scheduled, contact your child's school principal or PTO Chairperson; they will appreciate your involvement, so will your child.

FAMILY OUTINGS


Take your children on an outing to a museum or to a state park. There are always new things to learn and discover; so why not do it together? Both you and your child can enjoy an inexpensive visit to a park or museum. Pack a lunch and take off for a day of relationship building and fun. But before you do, prepare by finding the best rates and routes to these attractions by writing to:

State of Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection
Office of State Parks and Recreation
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
 or
Connecticut Department of Economic Development
210 Washington Street
Hartford, CT 06106
or
Rhode Island Tourism Division
7 Jackson Walkway
Providence, RI 02903

Before you know it, you will receive dozens of brochures and pamphlets to help you plan your next family outing.

TALK TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN

When our child is not sick, and we only have a question concerning our children's physical or mental health during puberty, etc, who do we usually call? Most of the time we call our own parents or friends. But that is not always the best place to get our information. And by the time we take our child for his or her next physical, we have probably forgotten all of our questions. Try keeping a list of your concerns; it can make the next consultation with the physician a more productive one. If the questions are brief and to the point, the doctor will be more than happy to address of concerns.

GET VIDEO PROGRAMS
FROM OUR COLLEGE LIBRARY

Every once in a while, you can find a show on television that can give you parenting information. However, TV is not our only source of educational programming. The Audry P, Beck library at QVCTC has informative videos available to the public. If you cannot find anything on television, they try to watch one of the following videos. Just ask for videos by "call number" and the library clerk will get you the film from behind the counter.

Who cares for the children? HQ 778.7.U6 W5
Shattered: If your kids are on drugs Hv 5825.V2 1986
Learning LB 1051.L4
The First Year of Life Rj 131.F5
What Should We Do In School Today? LB 1555.M2

SUB-LIST OF SOURCES
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These pages are maintained by: Dr. Brian Donohue-Lynch
Direct comments, questions or suggestions to:

bdonohue-lynch@qvcc.commnet.edu

Page Created: 1994   Lightly Revised: 2003