Positive Media Use

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In October's Aspire Parent Group, we had a great time learning and discussing with parents ideas to strengthen the development of children. We discussed the changes in technology, and the positive ways parents can use technology or the internet with their children. 

September's Aspire Parent Group

Thanks to all those parents who joined us at the recent Aspire Parent Group discussion on September 17, 2014! We had a great turn out with wonderful parents who were full of encouraging ideas.

It's so great to have the opportunity to come together to support and learn from one another's experiences. The Aspire Parent Group strives to facilitate an effective and important social connection for parents. Social connections are essential networks of support that include friends, family members, neighbors and community members who provide emotional support, help solve problems, offer parenting advice, and give concrete assistance.

During this month's group session, we all sat together, asked questions about services and their providers, and received great answers from our stellar parents! Below are the questions that were asked and the answers that were received:

Question 1: When you find “good help” or services, how do you make sure other parents know about it?

• Social Media (Facebook groups ["The Mama Hood"], Pinterest, Blogs, Twitter)
• Grab extra flyers for friends
• Health fairs
• Talk about it in a friend group
• Tell friends in one-on-one conversation
• Women's organizations (Relief Society, etc.)
• Host a party and have family and friends talk about it
• Text messaging

Question 2: What makes a service provider really, really good?

• You can sense that they are genuine and that they care about you and your children
• They give you time to ask questions
• They show true compassion
• They listen and don't judge as they try to understand the situation
• They think outside of the box
• They are kid friendly as they put emphasis on the kids
• You feel comfortable because they have you in mind
• You can tell that they want to be there and help you
• They don’t make you feel bad as a mom

Question 3: How have services and service providers been a positive part of your life?

• They have helped me to connect with other moms 
• Their consistent follow-up has been very helpful
• They have provided a nice break in life's routine
• Their free classes have taught me and encouraged me
• The various resources they have given me have been helpful 
• They have provided helpful connections to other providers
• Their caring about my child’s improvement has been a positive impact
• They consist of people who I feel are on my "team"

Feel free to comment below if you have additional answers to these questions. We love hearing from our wonderful followers!

This monthly group is a great way for parents to learn and grow from each other. It's also a great way to get free babysitting for an hour, plus a free child's book!

  

We would love to see and hear from you! Come join us for the next session scheduled on October 15, 2014, at the Utah County Health Department. 

If you plan on coming, please RSVP so that we know how much material to provide! If you would like to be added to the email invite list, contact us at baby1@unitedwayuc.org 

Aspire to Inspire

In this month’s Aspire Parent Group discussion we asked some great questions and got even better answers from our superstar parents!

These young mothers are full of words of wisdom! Here are the questions we asked them and some of their answers:

 “What do you teach your children about making friends and being a good friend?”

o   Modeling- Be an example.  If you are a good friend then your children will be good friends too.

o   Treat others the way you would want to be treated

“Who do you have the most fun with and how does that impact your parenting?”

o   Anyone easy going who understands that kids will be kids.  They don’t judge you or your kids

o   Anyone in the same boat as you are

o   Parents and in-laws are a the best because you can ask them questions and get advice

o   Other moms, they are really fun to talk to while the kids are playing. We form our own community within a community

“What role does the internet play in your social connections?”

o   Helps you keep in touch with family and friends who do not live close.  This way everyone can see your baby’s first steps. It keeps them updated

o   Good for organizing groups for parents and kids!

o   Good way to share and keep memories

This monthly group is a great way for parents to learn and grow from each other. It is also a great way to get free babysitting for an hour, plus free children’s books! We know you can’t resist, so please come join us next month for our Aspire Parent Group and Ready to Learn Workshop! http://www.helpmegrowutah.org/rsvp-aspire-parent-group

Please comment below if you have additional answers to these questions. We love hearing from our wonderful followers!

Photos taken and provided by our lovely intern Erica J

This One's for the Dads

Let’s be honest, when we talk about childcare we often address mothers and casually glance over fathers.  Well not today.  Dads, today I have some tips for you!

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Here are 10 things you can do to ensure that you are involved in your children’s lives no matter what age they are.

1.    Respect your children’s mother. We had to throw in mothers somehow! When children see their parents respecting each other, they are more likely to feel that they are also accepted and respected.

2.    Spend time with your children. If you always seem too busy for your children, they will feel neglected no matter what you say.  Set aside some much needed father -son/daughter time.

3.    Earn the right to be heard. I know, I know you already had to do this with your wife! Begin talking with your kids when they are very young, and talk to them about all kinds of things. Listen to their ideas and problems no matter how silly they may seem.

4.    Discipline with love. All children need guidance and discipline, not as punishment, but to set reasonable limits and help children learn from natural or logical consequences. Discipline in a calm, fair, and nonviolent manner.  Your child may be mad at first, but eventually they will understand that you only do it because you love them.

5.    Be a role model. Dad’s, you are a role model whether you realize it or not! A girl with a loving father grows up knowing that she deserves to be treated with respect. Fathers also teach sons what is important in life by demonstrating honestly, humility and responsibility.

6.    Be a teacher.  A father who teaches his children about right and wrong and encourages them to do their best will see his children make good choices. Be involved and use everyday examples to teach the basic lessons of life.

7.    Eat together as a family. Sharing a meal together is an important part of a healthy family life. It gives children the chance to talk about what they are doing, and it is a good time for fathers to listen and give advice.

8.    Read to your children. Begin reading to your children when they are very young. Instilling a love for reading is one of the best ways to ensure they will have a lifetime of personal and career growth. In this area, fathers have more influence than mothers! Yes it’s true!

9.    Show affection. Children need the security that comes from knowing they are wanted, accepted, and loved by their family. Showing affection every day is the best way to let your children know that you love them. No one can give a hug like dad can!

10.  Realize that a father’s job is never done. Even after children are grown and leave the home, they will still look to you, their father, for wisdom and advice. Fatherhood lasts a lifetime.

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Dad, you rock!

April Aspire Parent Group and Ready To Learn Workshop

Last week, the ASPIRE Parent Group discussion was centered around finding community resources.  We have compiled a list of the responses for you to use!

How do you go about finding Community Resources? 

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Books at the local library
Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo

Child Whisperer by Carol Tuttle

The Hospital – pre-natal labor class, and lactation resources. 

School Psychologist
The Park - talk to other moms with kids the age of your kids

Websites: www.babycenter.com – sign up to receive weekly emails of your child’s development
www.healthychildren.org 

www.funcheaporfree.com

La Leche – meets the third Wednesday of every month 6:30-7:30 pm at the Provo Public Library

Facebook groups: Power of Moms and Positive Parenting Solutions

Who are the people in your life you consider a powerful resource?

Family members

Friends with children similar age

Church Groups

Neighbors

Welcome Baby 

Pediatricians

Doctors office

Comment with other resources that are helpful to you as a parent!

The Ready To Learn Parenting Workshop is also a great resource for families!  Our workshop is held right after the ASPIRE Parent Group and families are welcome to attend!  The topic this month was: Shared Reading: Tools to Bring Literacy to Life.  These parenting workshops focus on interacting with your children to help them progress in their reading abilities. Here are some activities you can do with your child to bring literacy to life:

• Ask your child to make predictions of what will happen next
• Find a recipe and follow the instructions to cook dinner together
• Make your own book
• Put on a puppet show
• Read aloud to your children

For more activities, and a list of books that promote bringing literature to life, check out the KBYU Ready To Learn workshops by clicking here!

To sign up for the ASPIRE Parent Group  visit: http://helpmegrowutah.org/parents-caregivers/aspire-parent-group
To sign up for the Ready To Learn Parenting Workshop, visit: http://www.welcomebabyuc.org/en/families/ready-learn-parenting-class

"Who is my Child?"

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On Wednesday, at our "Ready to Learn" Parent group, we had a fantastic presentation done on child temperaments. Previous to this class, I had no idea what this meant, and after learning about it, I think this knowledge could be a parents best friend!

A temperament is how a person usually acts and every person is made up of several different traits. Understanding temperament is important because it affects how much your child learns, how well he or she behaves and how happy your child can be.

As you read through the traits, think about where your child might fall on the spectrum- then you can use that information to learn more about how you can help your child use those traits to their best advantage.

The Traits of Temperament are as follows:

• Activity Level: How active is my child? Very active or less active?

• Sensitivity to Senses: How sensitive is my child to light, smells, sound and touching? 

• Awareness of Feelings: How aware is my child of feelings and emotions?

• Strength of Expression: How strongly does my child express feelings, wants and opinions?

• Persistence: How does my child stick with and complete a task?

• Distractibility: How does my child pay attention? Not distracted or easily distracted?

• Ability to Change: How does my child adapt to change? Enjoys it or prefers the familiar?

• Need for Physical Routine: How much routine does my child need? prefers routine, or likes variety?

• Usual Mood: What is my child's mood most of the time?

Once you identify where your child fits in with these traits, then you can learn more about that specific temperament from the website here! (it starts on page 16). Under each trait, there are tips for working with your child and helping them use their temperaments to their (and your) advantage! 

If you have any additional ideas about children temperaments, let us know by commenting below. 

Also, our Aspire and Ready to Learn Parenting classes happen on the third Wednesday of every month at the Utah Department of Health in Provo. Its free and pizza and a lesson are provided! Come join us next month! 

What happens at parenting class, stays at parenting class....

photo from: http://www.henry4school.fr/feb13P3.htm

Just kidding- we love to share! We just had our first Aspire Parent Group and Ready to Learn parenting workshop of the year and we wanted to pass on what we learned!

First we made parenting resolutions for 2014 which included:
-Having a set dinner time throughout the week
-Preparing an activity list to have on hand when the kids get restless
-When two or more people are sitting at the table, no books, newspapers, phones or computers are allowed
-Making a week long or month long dinner idea list to keep dinnertime less chaotic and more planned.

We also came up with a list of future discussion topics that everyone can look forward to:
- Inexpensive date night ideas
- Ways to keep cool when crazy things happen
- Making routines that are realistic and manageable
- Sharing parental responsibilities between mom and dad
- How to prepare for multiple children or better known as, how not to feel outnumbered
- and Strengthening Families

 The Aspire and Ready to Learn group happens on the third Wednesday of each month. It is a chance to share stories or vent frustrations with other parents who are in your same circumstance. We provide the pizza and a lesson and you bring the children and discussion! Hope to see you there next month!

August Aspire Parent Group Recap

I can tell by the increase in traffic in the early mornings and mid-afternoons that school is back in session!  And now as you are trying to get your kids back into a routine of "early to bed and early to rise"... how many times have they thrown a fit in the past couple weeks?  

With all this transitioning, it is likely that each child is going through some personal anxieties that often lash out in the form of a temper tantrum, and it may even occur in the aisle of a grocery store.  It can be embarrassing for mom or dad as child is suddenly pounding the floor kicking and screaming.  

Last week at our Aspire Parent Group in Utah County, our parent champion Janae Moss led a discussion about temper tantrums. Here's what we discussed:

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Common causes of a temper tantrum...

Feeling tired

Being pushed beyond the limit

Wanting attention and not getting it

Feeling jealous (of another child, friend, etc.)

Wanting to communicate but can't or don't know how to 

How do our Aspire Parents deal with their child's tantrums?

Wait for child to calm down and then discuss the situation
Let the child pick the consequences for their behavior
Validate the child's feelings 
Distract the child with something else and redirect their attention 
Teach child what is/ not appropriate
Mimic the child's behavior (the child may stop fussing when they realize how ridiculous they look)
Ignore the child - walk away when they are acting out
Take away a favorite toy
Put the toy in time out
Read books about emotions such as Little Miss Sunshine - (the characters discuss their feelings)

You can dial 2-1-1 and ask for Help me Grow for more child development information.  We are available to help you with ideas and support!

Parenting is no easy task. The most important thing is to make sure that your child knows you love him. Come to our next ASPIRE Parent Group to discuss parenting tips with moms in the community. It is held the third Wednesday of each month at the Utah County Health Department in Provo. It starts at 11:15 am and a light lunch will be provided. If you would like to be added to the email invite list, please contact Deborah with Help Me Grow

Time to Go, Go, Go: Activity Ideas Brought to You by the Aspire Parent Group

There’s something about spring that just make us Help Me Grow (HMG) folks antsy. The sun’s out, the weather’s nice, and it’s time to go, go, go. Lucky for us, the Aspire Parent Group met a week ago and had some great ideas that will help us take advantage of the good weather.

Photo from the first Aspire Parent Group Meeting last August, courtesy of Deborah Wiess.

One way that HMG supports families is by facilitating the Aspire Parent Group. This parent-led group meets on the third Wednesday of every month from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in Orem, UT, and the meetings are part play date/part information session. The group is run by Help Me Grow Parent Champion Janae Moss, who creates an open environment for sharing thoughts and ideas about children and development. Click here for more information.


Last week, the group had a discussion about fun things to do with kids in the Provo/Orem area. Here are a few ideas they came up with:

1.      Check BYU events.
The calendar on the BYU website has information on events all over the area. They have a great overview of what's going on in the community.

 2.  Enjoy the BYU's Museum of Art.

      The Museum of Art (MOA) has tons of free fun for kids. More specifically, get a look at the MOA’s Van Gogh to Play Dough class for two to four- year-olds or the family film series they host on the 1^st Saturday of the month.

3.      Look into the Museum of Peoples and Cultures

The Museum of Peoples and Cultures provides tours for all kinds of groups. Visit the front desk for an activity pack to take on your self-guided tour (free!), or schedule a session with one of their tour guides. A group of 1-12 people are only $5.

4.      Visit your local library.

The Orem Library and Provo Library always have different activities going on.

5.      Give Lowes kids activities a try.

Once a month, Lowes hosts a free craft or activity for kids. They fill up fast, so search for a Lowes near you and register!

6.      Get your home improvement on with a trip to Home Depot.

Home Depot offers free do-it-yourself (DIY) classes and workshops on a weekly basis, and they have workshops designed just for kids every month!

7.      Go to your local pet store.

Your kids will enjoy the free time with animals, just don’t walk away with a new pet every time.

8.      Check out Cabela’s.

Besides the fact that Cabela's is great fun for parents, kids will love the aquarium and animals.

9.      Visit the Riverwoods.

With everything from premier shopping to fantastic entertainment, the Riverwoods has loads to offer the whole family.

10.  Take a trip to the Bean Museum. (Coming soon!)

The Bean Museum has been closed for construction, but it’s set to reopen during the fall of 2013. The museum boasts over two million specimens from around the world. Be sure to request a free live animal show!

Those are just a few of the ideas courtesy of the Aspire Parent Group. What are your favorite things to do with kids in the spring and summertime?