Want stronger, sweeter connections in your family? Join Belynda from 9th April 2023 for an online Starter Class.

Kind words from those who've joined Belynda for the six week Starter Class

- As a new foster mother of an autistic non-verbal 5yr old, I found the Hand in Hand - Parenting by Connection course you provided to be one of the most valuable tools in my toolbox....Our quality of relationship has been enriched! The support group alone is undeniably a solid transformation but the tool of Stay Listening without judgement has allowed my journey of motherhood to be the most wondrous and creative expression of love.

- Belynda, your genuine approach, real life experiences and compassionate teaching nature lends itself perfectly to this role.

- There has always been love in our home. Thanks to Belynda, now there is peace too.

The Hand in Hand Parenting Starter Class is a six week opportunity for connection, support, advice and information.

Hand in Hand Parenting supports parents to make empathy and connection their go-to response for challenges in their lives, while giving them confidence to set the limits their children need.

The Parenting by Connection Starter Class runs for 6 weeks and introduces participants to five key tools to solve everyday parenting challenges. The tools are:

Staylistening is what really sets this approach apart, and current neuroscience is firmly indicating that this is what our kids need - a loving anchor in times of emotional upheaval.
Playlistening is a fantastic way of connecting well with our kids to help them use giggles and play to work through any issues they are facing.
Special Time gives families a chance to connect well and deeply on a regular basis.
Setting Limits is vital for our kids; setting limits without harshness can help our children internalise a solid moral compass.
Listening Partnerships provide parents with the support they need to in turn support their children well.

Each week between sessions you'll have the chance to view approximately 60 minutes of videos (in ten minute blocks) and complete 1-2 hours of reading. This workshop is a thorough and detailed introduction to the Hand in Hand Parenting tools. We'll meet online on Sunday afternoons (Western Australia time) from 5pm-7pm and share successes, challenges, questions and answers. I do hope you can join me!

Investment for this workshop is $350 AUD per person. Please contact Belynda if this is prohibitive to discuss scholarship options. If you are in a country with a much stronger currency (UK or USA) please consider paying 350 in your currency to support those requiring scholarships.

Comments

Welcome

Welcome hard-working parents and carers! I want to take this opportunity firstly to say thank you. Thank you for the hard work you do as a parent, for all the love and care you give to your children. You are just the perfect parent for your child, and you deserve so much support for all the work you do. As we move into a new year, and I begin a new venture in the form of Parenting by Connection, I hope you'll join with me in reflecting for a moment on the incredible job parents do. We are routinely unpaid or underpaid, with a million different job titles in any one day. In our society, parenting is not given the respect or the support it deserves. Parenting by Connection is an approach that aims to change that. By finding the resources and support you need, you'll be more able to offer your sweet children the connection they crave; and thanks to neuroscience we know that they don't just want this connection, they need it! Kids' brains are hard-wired to seek out ...

Setting Limits with Love

Parenting is full of challenges we may never have guessed at. Today some of the limit setting I faced included my children swearing at one another, throwing a shoe on the roof, and refusing to eat the dinner I had cooked. Despite feeling like crawling under the couch and letting someone else deal with all this craziness, I know that what my kids need when they are having an off track day like this one is connection. On a good day, I approach these signals they are sending me with a wish to connect and with a wish to help them with whatever is driving their behaviour. On a harder day, and at times today was that, I lecture them and appeal to their sense of reason until I literally scream! In my many and varied conversations with parents, a common thread is how frustrating it is that we spend much of our day appealing to logic and reason in order to change behaviours. We say, 'No, please don't do that!' over and over again. We give good solid thinking around why not to beha...

Your child is having a problem, not being a problem...

Your child wants to feel good, connect well, play and learn. When things go off track for her, you can feel confident that this is NOT a choice she is making. To learn more about why it isn't a conscious choice, a little brain science may be helpful. What we know about brain science is that there are three key parts to our brains. The brain stem governs life processes such as breathing and is in charge of the well-known fight or flight response. The limbic system, or middle brain, is our safety monitor and the seat of our long-term memories. This is the part of our brain that is engaged to determine connection, that tells children 'Yes! All ok here. Learn and play, share and have fun'. Finally, the prefrontal cortex is our higher brain, where our executive function happens. When the limbic system sends the message that all is well, this is the part of our child's brain that helps her reason, organise, play well, be considerate and think well. From Unspl...

Parenting by Connection with Belynda Smith

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