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KIM: This is my second course that I've facilitated and so we've marketed it round all our families
and all the people that we work with. It's an evidence based programme around positive
parenting.
LAURA: I had a flier through from the group, and thought it sounded really interesting,
KIRSTIE: I got in touch through my health visitor, as I was experiencing problems,
KIM: They get almost like a toolkit, to deal with different situations and it shows them
how to understand why their child is behaving in the way that they do, and how to react
to that. Things like social and emotional coaching, ignoring ineffective behaviour,
positive praise, there's many tools.
GEORGINA: The first couple of weeks when you're just playing with your child, you're not sure
why you're doing this, but it all comes together in the end, and you realise how much of a
difference it's made and you can deal with situations that previously you couldn't deal
with. In my house there's a big thing about aggression, and that's completely gone.
KASSIE: Instead of jumping and shouting and getting angry and arguing with each other,
this course has helped to remind me that my daughter is two.
GEORGIE: I partly came along because it was going to be two hours without my children
which sounds awful but meant I got a break and I got to drink coffee and eat cake and
spend it with some lovely people, at the same time learning, how to improve my everyday
life with my children.
KIRSTIE: I don't think you need to be a first time parent, because my child that I've had
issues with is my second child.
GEORGIE: It's helped me in many aspects, having three children who are very little.
LAURA: I've also got three children and it's really helped me to encourage them to play
better together to help me direct attention to each one, in a meaningful way.
GEORGIE: You have something that you can look back and think, well, instead of shouting
at my daughter I'm going to try everything you learn in the course, there are so many
different parts of it that you learn throughout each session. And you have another way, a
tool to use in each situation that you didn't have before.
LAURA: If I do do something in not the right way, I can learn from that and change it next
time I do it, it's letting you know that nobodies a bad parent and everybodies got learning
to do.
KASSIE: Our children are happier, they feel more comfortable, and they're learning to
express themselves with social interaction, learning how to cope with their emotions.
All the things that, they're our job as parents, but it's not always at the forefront of what
we're doing and it's really bought the importance of that out. And it's not a touchy feely female
orientated course, I think a lot of videos that we watch are of fathers and their interaction
with children and it's just important for both parents to get involved with the children.
SUE: Part of the funding that the children's centre has, enables us to have a creche, for
a couple of hours so that the parents can come along, it's fully qualified with lots
of activities, and they're only round the corner.
KASSIE: It's like having a two hour support group once a week, where we can all have a
drink. We've laughed hysterically, we've all shed a little tear, even if you just do it
to meet people to begin with, you'll be amazed what you get out of it at the end. It's absolutely
incredible.
LAURA: Everyone's come out of this group and said, yeah there are things about my parenting
that I can improve and we've all helped each other to do that, and that will be something
that will be ongoing, and we'll continue to get together, even after the course has finished.
GEORGINA: There is a period in the course where things have got to get a bit worse,
you go over a big mountain, but just stick with it, this course is definitely worth it,
just work at it, it'll pay off in the end.