Being a parent is about the most important job we do as an adult and book 1, ‘Being a Parent’ looks at the feelings we experience and the way we parent our children. We soon find out that we may unconsciously start parenting in ways handed down from our own parents or we may consciously do it very differently.

Renowned family therapist, Virginia Satir, emphasised in her book, Peoplemaking (1985) that people expect to be good parents just because they are able to conceive and give birth. Nothing can be further from the truth, particularly if your own childhood was lacking in some way.

We do the best we can with what we have available but we need to be aware of what we are doing in terms of listening to our children, allowing them to express their feelings and acknowledging them. This enables them to become self-sufficient adults with high self-esteem, capable of good decision-making throughout their lives.

We look at the pitfalls of parenting, whilst understanding the need to encourage children to take responsibility and make their own decisions. We give a gentle reminder that our roles change as parents as our children grow older.

You’ll also be introduced to Building Bridges, which are activities which you can do alone or with your children and other adults in the family. Practice makes perfect and these exercises will help reinforce the content of the books. Some of them are thought-provoking and may stir up memories from your own childhood but without doubt, they will increase your awareness.