This series was part of a wider series arising from our conversation with Stuy Wilson of ZestLife Therapeutic Services – and with Counsellor Isla Jeffers (a regular contributor to Family.ie), and Consultant Trainer – Jackie O’Regan of Digiwise.ie.
It was very clear in these conversations that the complex job of parenting – while profoundly rewarding and worth the investment needed to make it work well – it is a lifelong journey of learning. Life is complex and messy at times. Getting some input – like we provide in these Programmes – can be a helpful ‘arm-around-the-shoulder’ for hard pressed parents. We hope it will be so.
Here is a summary of the content of the four programmes in the series
In Episode 1 – “Helping your child feel secure and loved” – Every parent who is sincere about doing the best they can for their children, will want to get this right. Here is some real life examples that have worked and / or needed to be adjusted – depending on the needs of the child.
The Programme includes
- The importance of a secure home for your child, and learning how to communicate to each unique child – that they are deeply loved
- The value of understanding the ‘love-languages’ of your child, and where physical touch & hugging may be appropriate in that spectrum of differing ‘languages’
- Growing in understanding of the Love languages (Dr Gary Chapman) and changing family dynamics in a new era of parenting in a digital age
In Episode 2 – “Understanding Child Parent Conflict” – Stuy Wilson speaks of different ‘zones’ in which interaction with children takes place. Stuy points to the most effective place to ‘parent’.
The Programme includes
- Understanding the ‘red’ and ‘green’ zones in parenting, and how effective parenting can take place in a ‘green’ zone
- Observations from our listener panel on efforts to parent in the red-zone!
- No cookie cutter approach to parenting will work as each child is different
In Episode 3 – “The Impact of Parents upon Children” – Life is diverse and complex. It is changing with each generation and quite rapidly now. Yet human nature continues. Being real and realistic in our expectations matters. Our children are ‘watching’ and learning from us
This Programme includes
- Dealing with ‘special-needs’ children requires appropriate parenting. Children are watching and learning from parents all the time – about how they can and should behave.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously – be authentic
- Every child is different. Encourage them to be themselves – even if that is different. Helping them to grow to be the person they were designed to be
In Episode 4 – “The Impact of Parents upon Children – Part 2” – We continue the conversation with a real life example from Stuy and his dad, and how this ‘shaped’ Stuy. We can learn from their example ….
The Programme includes
- Stuy comments upon the profound impact of his dad on Stuy and the confidence that came from being understood by his dad.
- The influence of Dad’s in forming ‘self-image’ in their child
- Learning the ‘configuration-style’ (orientation) of your child, and how to engage effectively with them makes such a difference.
