Parenting is THE most fundamental role in our society.
The work of parents is absurdly undervalued and underpaid, and largely unrecognised.
Societies are built on the role of the family. Most of the world’s governments that could afford to do otherwise, put profits before families.
Parenting by Connection projects spring from the following understandings and teach the following tools
When children feel connected, they learn readily, love easily and become caring leaders among their peers. A healthy parent-child connection enables a child to fully access her
intelligence and ability.
There are also events in a child’s life that are confusing, hurtful, worrying, overwhelming, causing emotional tension. When a child feels disconnected, one of two things happens – either the child spontaneously releases tension (for example, in crying, or
tantrums/melt downs) or the child’s behaviour goes off-track, signalling the disconnection.
Discover the Four Listening to Children tools
- Staylistening
- Setting Limits
- Special Time
- Playlistening.
Using these tools, parents can build a child’s sense of connection or bring a child back on track with connection – in contrast to control, excessive reasoning, consequences and, largely, ineffective strategies (if not in the short time, at least in the long term).
Parenting is immensely challenging – intellectually and emotionally.
Parenting is immensely challenging – intellectually and emotionally. When the challenge raises a parent’s emotional stress levels past a certain point, it sends their behaviour off track.
The fifth Parenting by Connection tool is an adult-adult listening tool called Listening Partnerships. Parents establish the support of a peer listener who appreciates how much they care and how hard they try, and who listens without giving advice.
Parents need emotional safety to offload the feelings that interfere with their ability to guide their children with love and sensible limits, kindly held.
parenting can be an isolating, difficult job.
When parents feel connected with their children and with other
parents, they have greater success at solving problems at the
heart of family and community life.
The most frequent feedback from the first class of the Starter Class is, “I’m so relieved to find that I’m not alone! We are all in the same boat!" The good people who teach this approach, help parents
develop the skills to reach their goals. With support, and when
they are ready, parents take steps to build healthy families and
strong communities.
Parenting by Connection provides parents with the backing and
the tools that they need to be world changers, and for parenting
to be a revolutionary act.
Professionals
We also deliver Parenting by Connection programs that help family workers, and professionals such as occupational therapists, psychologists and others who work with parents, to lead parents in building healthy families and strong communities.
The approach was developed by Patty Wipfler more than 40 years ago. With her commitment to parents and her dedication to raise consciousness about the vital importance of parenting to world change at the most fundamental level, many, many tens of thousands of parents across the world have been reached with these ground-breaking insights and tools.