If you were one of the 28 parents who attended the parenting program "Discovering Normal: Becoming A Love and Logic Parent" you would know the answer to that question. Parents in this six-week parent education program, co-facilitated by Mary Bartlett from BRiDGES and Val Smith from Liberty Resources, Inc., learn the COOL formula.
This six-week group education combines two very effective programs. "Discovering Normal" is a parent skills training for adults who grew up with alcoholism and addiction. This part of the program provides accurate information about normal childhood development and how to handle the bumps and turns of active family life.
"Becoming a Love and Logic Parent" developed by Jim Fay, an educator, and Foster Cline, a child psychiatrist, offers techniques that build responsible children who are capable of solving their own problems. Combining these two programs allows parents to discover strengths for positive parenting.
So what is the COOL formula that parents learn?
Control that is shared
Ownership of the problem
Opportunity for thinking/decision making
Let consequences and empathy do the teaching
One parent summed up her experience by saying, "It makes sense and seems to work in a lot of relationships-(not only with your kids, but) at work and with other family members.
Parents in this six-week group also learn skills in identifying normal childhood developmental stages, how substance abuse affects the family and how to prevent it, gaining family cooperation, and understanding kids. This program has been run twice so far with good results. Blending the issues of preventing alcohol and substance abuse with practical parenting skills is a need for many parents, and attendance at the groups bears this out.
As one dad wrote at the end of the series, "I will remember to use choices as often as possible with my daughter. I have been practicing using patience instead of power-that helps you relate to your kids and your kids relate to their environment. Invest 12 hours (of time). The return is a lifetime of better relations and communication with your family."
