GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Blog

Do We Let Them Go, or Not? Part 1

Do We Let Them Go, or Not? Part 1

dreamstime_l_13921937Our teens want to go out with friends. Do we let them go, or not? How will we know that they will be safe? What are the factors we need to consider?

I work a lot with immigrant parents, grandparents and guardians. Often parents decide that the way to keep their children safe is to withhold permission and to keep them at home.
Many immigrant and first generation parents were raised around an extended family that provided safety, nurturing and entertainment to the children as they grew up. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Parents as Their Child’s First Teacher

sisters-781100__340Parents as Their Child’s First Teacher

Author’s Note: Guest bloggers, Janis Baron, Founder and Board President, and Ali Barekat, Executive Director of Sunday Friends (www.SundayFriends.org) in San Jose, California, contributed to the second of this two-part series.

As parents gain the skills and confidence to become effective role models and academic support partners in their children’s learning, the very low-income parents and children of the Sunday Friends program earn redeemable tickets for their participation in community service and learning activities.  [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Parents as Their Child’s First Teacher

Parents as Their Child’s First Teacher

women-1134987Note: Guest bloggers, Janis Baron, Founder and Board President, and Ali Barekat, Executive Director of Sunday Friends (www.SundayFriends.org) in San Jose, California, contributed to the first of this two-part series.

Many parents feel overwhelmed and unqualified in how they can adequately support their children in their personal and academic growth as their first teachers. The Sunday Friends agency supports families who have not been actively involved in their children’s schools in a Sunday morning curricular program. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

“I Messages” Work in Good Times and in Bad

“I Messages” Work in Good Times and in Bad

dreamstime_l_26558255Back in the 1980’s I learned about “I Messages”. I was taught that when communicating with someone about something that bothers us, instead of laying blame, it was more effective to speak about how it made us feel. So instead of saying, “You are always so rude to me!” [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint

Communicate While We Work and Play

Communicate While We Work and Play

dreamstime_l_6513466Frustrated parents tell me they have little time to have long meaningful conversations with their children. There is work in and out of the home. Children have activities they must complete each day. We all lead very busy lives.

I’m reminded of the times I used to spend with my father. He was a very busy contractor. He worked all the time. But, since he didn’t have a son, he chose me to be his helper. I would hold the lamp over the engines of his vehicles as he repaired them. I would hand him the proper tools or help put on a fresh coat of paint in order to keep his equipment in working order. During those times we would talk. [Read more…]

image_pdfmake a pdfimage_printPrint