Parenting by Connection with Belynda Smith

Parenting by Connection should probably be called Life by Connection. It's an approach that has profoundly impacted my relationships across all spheres of life. So what is it all about? Parenting is hard work. You deserve support as you do this vital work. In our society, parenting is seen as something of a hobby. But parenting involves deeply emotional work that can very challenging. The Parenting by Connection approach involves supporting parents so they can in turn support and lead their families well. Parenting by Connection is an approach that values your wellbeing at least as much as your child's. This approach asserts that, like the life mask on an aeroplane, you need to care for yourself before you can provide the deep connection your child thrives on. The Starter Class which runs for six weeks gives you some vital refresher time. You can be with other parents and learn from their stories too. Parenting can be isolating; getting together and sharing a laugh or ev...

Parents face so many challenges and difficulties, from financial stress, to relationship difficulties, to things like guilt, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and more general and insidious oppressions like racism. Parenting by Connection recognises the impact these things can have on your ability to connect well with your child; this approach holds the view that all of these hurts can be healed from with the right attention and with time. The one thing that can stop that healing though is what I think of as Parent Nemesis Number One. Isolation. Isolation means that we hold back from letting others into our hearts. It means we don't share how hard we find it when our child speaks to us disrespectfully, or how guilty we feel that we can't always give our kids our best selves, or how angry we get when our kids fight. We don't allow others to see our vulnerabilities and our faults. And that means we don't see theirs. So we think we are the only parent who has these issue...