Thriving Parents

shifting Parenthood from barely surviving to thriving

A family of yellers no more

 

When it comes to parenting, I work really hard to get it right.  I’m not always successful and it’s never easy, but I work really hard.
I come from a long line of self-proclaimed yellers.  There’s just something about my family that says you must talk loud ALL.THE.TIME.  It’s their gut reaction.  I remember both of my grandfathers being big yellers.  My parents yelled remarkably less than their parents did and I know I work hard to yell less than my
parents.
I had the opportunity to attend a parenting workshop with my church’s moms group when Kate was 3, Caroline was 2, and Rebecca was about 5 months old.  (Does that age gap sound crazy or what?!) It was about raising toddlers and was amazing.
Like blow my mind amazing.
I remember going home that day and being a rock star mom.  I was the kind of mother I always dreamed I’d be.
For about 6 hours.  Then I became tired, frustrated, or cranky.
The next day I woke up wanting to feel the same way.  I channeled some patience and self-discipline.  I lived in the moment with my kids.  Somehow it didn’t have the same effect as the day before did but I still saw results.  I knew I needed to take another workshop to learn more.
I continued taking these parenting workshops that were a part of Redirecting Children’sBehavior.  The positive parenting theories behind them were so simple but simple didn’t mean they were easy.
Matt and I saw results immediately.  It was such a positive impact on our family life that we decided to take the 5-week session.
That 5-week session?  It was life changing.  Really, truly life-changing.  It was where I found myself as a mother.  Where I finally found happiness in my children and stopped second-guessing myself.  I finally felt like we had a family filled with love, warmth, respect, and understanding.  Our family became a
team.
I love everything Matt and I learned about parenting so much that last spring I went through the certification process to teach the Redirecting Children’s Behavior classes myself.
I am now a Certified Parent Educator and I’ll be teaching workshops and
classes this fall.
I am crazy excited.
xoxo
–k
Kristina Grum is a Certified Parent Educator who has over a decade of experience working with children, including being a classroom teacher. She currently teaches parenting classes in her local area and writes about shifting parenthood from barely surviving to thriving.

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Comments

  1. Hannah's Mommy says

    I believe that God brought you into my life for a reason. I am so blessed to know you, even in this short period of time. I am very interested in your classes this fall. Keep me informed of when they start!

    -Melissa

  3. Larks says

    That sounds really cool! Excitement and good intentions are so key, you know? I keep meaning to sign up for another parenting class type thing to refocus myself but life just kind of keeps happening…

  4. Kathy at kissing the frog says

    Ugh, my Hubby and I need this. Our first reaction is always to yell. We're both so tired and so stressed right now, it seems like the easiest thing to do. But then I think, do I want to teach my kids what is easy or what is right? And the answer always brings me more patience.