GIVING KIDS POWER: WFWP SEATTLE HOSTS WORKSHOPS TO EDUCATE PARENTS
WFWP Seattle had the joy of inviting a local gem, Elizabeth Crary (who goes by the nickname Betsy), a Parental Guidance Strategist, speaker, and author, to lead several workshops this past year with the chapter. Learn more about Betsy at: http://starparent.com/spktrn/index.html
Betsy has enlightened our WFWP gatherings this year. In January, she presented and led a discussion on the theme of her forthcoming new book, Kids and Power. She said, "Power can be taught by modeling, practice, and reflection."
I was first introduced to Betsy's books (of which she has many) in 2002 while studying Early Childhood Ed at North Seattle College. Now, I am happy to say that Betsy and I have become friends. She is a woman of great understanding and practice when it comes to how families can best work together.
Her February workshop, inspired by Valentine's Day, centered on The 5 Love Languages of Adults and Children. Expressing love for our spouses and our children can be challenging unless we focus on communicating that affection in ways they understand. Speaking in your spouse's or your child's love language helps them feel loved, secure, and more willing to interact with you and the rest of your family.
During the March Spring Workshop, she discussed the theme, Levels of Support — Building Independence and Responsibility as Your Child Grows, to help parents understand if they are doing too much for their child. Some parents unintentionally encourage behavior they dislike by failing to change how they interact with their child as he or she grows. During this workshop, we discussed principles that can apply to students, co-workers, siblings, and spouses. We:
Identified the four levels of support: nurturer, teacher, coach, consultant.
Discovered what happens if parents do not change the level of support they offer.
Practiced responding to common issues from all four levels.
Discovered how we can create rules and incentive on each level.
In April, we discussed how to avoid emotional meltdowns and help kids deal with disappointment. Children need concrete strategies to cope with their feelings. The easiest time for children to learn self-calming skills is between 6 and 36 months; however, they can learn at any age. This presentation offered tools and techniques parents can use with their children. We:
Learned five thing kids need to know about feelings to manage their emotions.
Gained an understanding as to why a child doesn’t “cool-it” when you acknowledge his/her feelings.
Identified six strategies parents can teach their child to calm him- or herself.
Found out four ways parents disregard children’s feelings and what to do instead.
Discovered two critical elements to help kids avoid emotional meltdowns
Participant reflections:
Five Love Languages workshop (February): "Hearing about love languages really opened my heart to my family. It helped me to explore new ways to reach out to each person, instead of looking only from my point of view, and how I interpret issues. Thanks for the heads up!"
Levels of Support workshop (March): "When my child would get angry and talk disrespectfully, I would get angry back. I am now understanding that I can control my reaction and use the tools of nurturing, teaching, coaching, or consulting."
Help Kids with Disappointment workshop (April): "I never knew that I could teach my child calming techniques. I would just tell him to quiet down or let him watch a program. Now, I feel empowered to help him take control of his emotions whenever they come up."