PARENTING GROUP

How many of these scenarious have you experienced?

• Bracing for that next call from school about your child’s “misbehavior.” 
• Dreading opening yet another school email for fear of learning about the extensive list of your child’s assignments that are missing and long overdue, which your child assured you were completed. 
• Feeling heartbroken observing your child’s peer groups plan social outings while your child watches from the sidelines. 
• Hearing again that your child ate alone during lunch or had nobody to play with during recess or team sports. 
• Feeling the piercing glares from others in the grocery store when your child has a meltdown. 
• Listening to judgmental comments from people who do not know you or your child about how “kids like yours” are the result of poor parenting. 
• Managing multiple specialist appointments, making call-after-call to try to coordinate services and find your child appropriate treatment. 
• Beating yourself up for losing your patience, feeling angry, or saying something hurtful to your child out of frustration.

You are not alone. These are all-too-common experiences for parents of children with mental health or developmental challenges. 

Every parent wants their child to be viewed and treated positively, respectfully, equitably, and with compassion and understanding. 

It can be difficult to know when to speak up for your child, when your child needs to receive (and learn from) a natural consequence, and how to ensure your child receives fair treatment, opportunities, and extra support when needed. Effective advocacy is a honed skill and does not come naturally to everyone, but it can create strong relationships and promote positive change that will benefit your child and others.

Members in this group discuss their shared experiences, gain insights about effective parenting approaches, and feel empowered with the tools and knowledge to help their child access the support and resources they need.