Parents everywhere can probably remember a time or two when their children created a stressful situation – maybe it was a tantrum on the toy aisle or the nightly shriek of “NO!” at the mention of bedtime or bathtime.
What’s a parent to do?
Kimiko Williams is the coordinator of Postive Parenting Program – Triple P, for short – for Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties and she said it’s a program worth checking out.
The program helps parents reduce stress. “Parenting can be very, very stressful,” Williams said, whether you’re a new parent or a parent with vast experience.
“You want to enjoy raising your children,” she said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
But stressing out over bad behavior and power struggles does not bring much pleasure, she said.
Triple P is an evidence-based program that helps parents identify their strengths and then come up with strategies that build on those strengths – it’s not a one-size-fits-all program. And there’s no cost involved.
“Every parent has strengths to bring to the table,” Williams said.
“Children feed off of what we are giving out,” she continued, adding that the more tools and strategies in a parent’s tool belt can serve to lessen those power struggles and lower incidents of misbehavior.
Confident parenting skills create more confident, self-sufficient children.
“It’s all in how you interact with the child,” she said. Fussing and yelling detracts from the bonding that takes place between a parent and child.
“We all need help when it comes to parenting,” Williams said. Finding strategies that promote kindness in the way parents interact with their children helps reduce stress levels of the adult and of the child.
Call Williams at 919.496.2533 (ext. 2335) to learn more about Triple P and to find a practitioner near you.
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