Parenting Courses

In this article about parenting courses, I’m going to talk about what they provide, in which situations you may need parenting courses and finally where to find parenting courses, under which “format” is it better to improve your parenting skills.

Parenting courses – for whom, for what?

Many parents have problems parenting their children. In our society, many parents have a hard time deciding on a parenting style, are afraid to be too authoritarian or not strict enough.

It’s indeed confusing. A lot of parents are in denial and don’t think they need help parenting their children when they actually do. In order for parenting courses to be really helpful and effective, parents need to understand the following statement:

You, as a parent, are responsible for your child’s bad behavior.

This may sound harsh to many parents but it’s something that has to be understood. If a child doesn’t use words to express his anger but hits his parents instead, it’s because his parents didn’t teach him how to express his feelings with words, didn’t explain why hitting is wrong. Not to mention that spanking and yelling only teach to hit and yell. But bad parents don’t exist. It’s just that parenting has to be learned and many parents ignore it.

Parenting courses can be very effective in teaching parents the following:

• How to communicate effectively: parenting courses give effective parenting techniques that help modifying your child’s behavior. Changing the way you react to your child’s behavior is essential to make your child decide to have a good behavior.

• How to be firm and consistent: parenting courses help parents stop giving in each time their child throws a tantrum, they help with applying consequences to children’s bad behavior and use punishments the right way.

• How to handle difficult situations (recurring tantrums, bedtime issues…)

• How to use positive reinforcement: parenting courses teach parents how to praise their child’s good behavior and emphasize the positive things your child does instead of focusing on the bad ones.

• How to teach values to your child (respect, honesty, justice, compassion, love…)

Parenting courses are not necessarily for parents who have major parenting problems. Parents who want to strenghten the bond with their child and improve their communication skills will also benefit from parenting courses.

Still, parenting courses are mainly focusing on managing children’s behavior problems by making parents reflect on their own behavior and how it impacts their child’s behavior.

What kind of parenting courses exist and which one to pick?

Parenting courses can be either group meetings with other parents or online courses. Below are the pros and cons of each “format” in order to help you decide which is the most appropriate for you.

Group meetings:

Pros: You get to meet other parents and benefit from their experiences – Taking the initiative to go somewhere to solve parenting problems can be motivating.

Cons: Some parenting courses can be expensive (as you’ll attend several) – You don’t always have the time to attend courses – There may not be a parenting course near where you live – Parenting courses won’t cover all the situations you’re facing and will cover some that you’re not struggling with.

Online parenting courses/parenting programs:

Pros: Inexpensive (one time payment) – You can read and apply the program at your own pace, when you want, where you want – You get an online support if you need extra help – You’re guided step-by-step – Online parenting courses are 100% money back guaranteed (you get a refund if it doesn’t work with your child).

Cons: You need to be consistent and apply the program to the letter – No live interactions with other people

Some very effective online parenting courses have been created by parents and child therapists. This is the format we personally recommend as it’s perfectly suited for parents’ busy lives.

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By Laura Kaine in Blog, General parenting on December 25, 2011