Parent is Also a Verb 11/17/21

In life B.C. (before children) I was trained in two parenting curricula in my capacities as a public health educator and, later, as the program director at a crisis nursery. So, in my late 20’s/early 30’s, I found myself teaching parenting classes to a high risk population, some court ordered. Having zero real life experience of my own. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a parent. Ever.

Having nearly a decade of teaching under my belt, including adult instruction in child development and positive discipline, I was confident I could teach the lessons effectively. Credibility, so participants would consider employing the new strategies, was something about which I was concerned.

Suffice to say, clients appeared to accept that I was qualified to teach based on my education and experience. I had the great fortune of teaching great parenting education over and over. This is the best way to really learn new material. And I was paid to do this!

Besides best practices for raising a child, I also learned that, for me personally, I didn’t want our kids to go to a childcare center. At 33, I birthed our firstborn. Next baby arrived the following year. They’re 19 months apart. I stayed home with them full-time, and I’ve had plenty of practice applying those parenting lessons.

After writing a parenting tip in a tweet, it occurred to me that I am in a good position now to blog ideas, strategies, and tips regarding child development, discipline, & parenting. These posts will share the same title but dates and pictures will differ.

So, for today, besides pointing out that parent is both a noun and a verb, I’d like to introduce the true meaning of discipline. It is derived from the Latin word discipulus which means to learn. Unfortunately, in our society, discipline has become synonymous with punishment. When you change your focus to a more positive approach to communicating with and relating to your child, think of guiding, training, educating, instruction, and knowledge. I’d like to add playing and reading with your kids.

I’m very excited to start blogging in a new area. Parenting blog posts will be published frequently but in rotation with other topics. Feel free to share my blog if you know someone who wants help. If you have questions, please post them in the comments! Remember, title will stay the same; pictures and dates will change.