That’s part of the introduction given to parents for the ten week parenting class run by NCH Wessex Family Centre in their local Methodist church in
Salisbury.

The approach is simple and positive, based on parents praising and playing with their children as well as managing their behaviour. It works at
helping both parents and children to stop them blaming each other.
Parents even have homework tasks to practise what they have learnt in the sessions.

Bobbie joined to get some guidance on how to discipline her five year old son. ‘I don’t have the kind of close knit family with a gran living across the road or an aunty next door, so when James was acting up and I didn’t know why, I didn’t really have anyone to ask.’

Now that she’s completed the programme, she says: ‘The classes have given me much more confidence as a mother and I’ve learnt some new skills which have helped my relationship with my son. It was a big help to talk to other parents and find out that what I was feeling was normal.’

NCH runs parenting classes for parents with young children at a number of its children’s and family centres across the UK. It also runs projects working with older children, teenagers and their parents, including young people at risk of offending or being taken into care.

MORE INFORMATION
For more on NCH's work with parents see www.nch.org.uk