This looks completely excellent from Sharon Silver, who you know I love:
Check out Proactive Parenting's NEW Online Parenting Skills Class that parents can do from home when they have time! http://www.proactiveparentingstore.com/online_skills_class
A child’s development, independence and power can surprise a parent or catch them off guard causing stress and reactions. Parents wonder how their parenting style will effect their child, or if their child will have high self-esteem and be able to resist peer pressure, or if he'll ever stay in bed, eat a decent meal, stop arguing and stop saying NO? Sound familiar?
Parents want parenting skills to help them do the best they can for their child! And now they can get those skills when they want them and how they want them!
The Proactive Parenting Online Skills Class not only gives parents 4 weeks of new parenting skills, it coaches them and gives them 4 handbooks with real world examples to refer to over the years.
Best of all, EVERY parent can attend!
Parents who Work, Stay at Home or Work at Home or want to listen to a recording when they have time! Those who want to share this with a spouse or caretaker and those who have time in the Morning or those who have time in the Evening, EVERY PARENT CAN ATTEND!
http://www.proactiveparentingstore.com/online_skills_class Begins March 6th, check it out now!
Thank you Moxie and everyone who has already signed up. I'm really looking forward to this. Deadline is February 29th - leap year - at midnight PST. See you there!
Posted by: Sharon @proactiveparenting | February 22, 2012 at 02:12 PM
Wow you are still writing these. I havent been to your blog site here in years. Once met up with some of you a few years ago in Philly and it was a good time. Was kind of hoping you or some of your readers could help me out with the answer to some simple questions. About 6mo ago my husband left me and my two beautiful children. I have a chronic illness and was in a BAD place for a long time, requiring frequent hospitalizations (literally every 10-14 days I would be back in for 5 or 6 days). Anyway he couldnt handle me being sick so he peaced out and left me with the kids and no help (stellar, right? not that Id trust him with the kids anyway considering the fact that hes been emotionally and verbally abusive for years and gets SO frustrated with the kids that Im pretty sure it wouldnt take much for him to cross over into physically abusive land. Anyway, long story short - things have very recently improved on the medical front. I am as ill as I ever was but we have found ways to keep me out o the hospital and treat em with the I meds at home. From the time my husband left (July) until maybe a week or two ago, itdidnt really occur to me that all my my "friends" in the area were his friends too and that creates a very awkward situation. Up until now, it didnt matter - I was too sick to commit to anything anyhow. So, now that things are more stable, I am left with basically no friends of my own. Sure, people I chat with and say hello on the street and have evn had a playdate or two with some of them...but no one that I can call last second for a quick trip to ikea or out for coffee/tea, or just an impromptu visit. No one. Not a soul. Its an incredibly lonely place to be. The worst part of it is probably the fact that I dont even know who "me" is anymore. Ive become a Patient and a Mom ... two thigs I never really wanted associated with y name especially has main titles, Anyway my long winded babble is basically just to ask if anyone has ANY ideas on how I actually MEET people? Like I seriously dont even know how to start....tonight I sat here bawling my eyes out because for the first time in many years I realized that I am just... LONELY. My kids are fantastic and I love them to death, but they obviously cant fulfill that part of me that needs adult interaction.
Someone help me.. someone tell me what to do, where to go, how the heck a 30-something year old with two kids meet someone (and I am not talking about 'meeting someone' of the opposite sex, that is the LAST time on my mid right now). What do I do to break free of this monotonous circle of caring for kids (again, I lobe them to death but seriously adults need more tha that too.. Really sorry for hijacking your post in a completely unrelated way Moxie..feel free to put me in front of the firing squad :)
Posted by: Andrea | February 22, 2012 at 11:58 PM
Certain search engines list local moms' groups. Go to the playground. Go to church. Go to any events looking for people who want helpers and be a helper. You will meet some people there. I hope this helps in some small way.
Posted by: Sharon Silver | February 23, 2012 at 12:58 AM
Andrea -- when you say it's an awkward situation, do you mean that your mutual friends were actually his friends and have sided with him in all this? I don't know if you read Suburban Bliss, but Melissa found that when her husband left her, some of "their" friends ditched her, but others found a way to be kind to both of them.
Is that possible? Especially if you're explicit with people -- "I don't expect you to turn on him, but I would love to have someone to get coffee with occasionally" -- maybe it would work.
Assuming there's someone in your old group who you'd like to be friends with, and not just because it's convenient. I think you are going to have to be the one to reach out, unfortunately. But there are a lot of introverts out there, as Moxie notes, just waiting to get some meatballs with lingonberry sauce.
Posted by: Slim | February 24, 2012 at 07:13 AM
Hi Sharon & Moxie! Just signed up for the parenting skills class. I cannot wait for the course to begin so I can add to my arsenal of parenting knowledge.
My children will thank you 20 years from now!
Posted by: Heather | February 25, 2012 at 10:40 AM
Heather, Glad to have you. You're correct your children will thank you in about 20 years. However, using new skills will show you the wonderful impact you're having with them, now!
Posted by: Sharon Silver | February 25, 2012 at 03:25 PM
I hope you do this class again soon Sharon! I don't feel I can commit to it this time as I'm about to have a baby! (And currently working through a marriage class to keep us ok for the next one!) BUT please do this again because in a few months I'm definitely yours!
Andrea - loved the advice that Sharon gave you. Moms groups, volunteering, joining a church AND getting involved in that church. I moved to a new town and had to reach out to meet people. The more I volunteer and get involved in my church the more people I meet, the more confidence I have and the easier it gets. No easy way to do it other than to get in the trenches and commit to something. Hang in there!
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