Four workshops were organized by Willingness on ‘The psychology of Parenting’ with the aim of giving the opportunity to parents, and any caregivers, to review knowledge about the psychological aspects of parenting. It aimed to focus on practical aspects and their application in everyday life. Case studies and real life situations were discussed.
The first workshop was held on ‘How is my child changing from a baby to a toddler?’. During this workshop important information was reviewed about the development that children go through between the age of one year and a half till three years; the physical, psychological and emotional aspects. By gaining insight into a number of theories, participants were able to discuss how this is useful in our life.
The second workshop was on: ‘My role as a parent … how do I act and interact?’. It is important to understand why we react to our children in particular ways in certain situations and how our reactions may be affecting them. To achieve this, it is crucial that we reflect on how we behave in our important relationships with our own parents and with our partners.
Furthermore, the third workshop was held on: ‘I can’t be with you all the time, but that’s OK’, as parents one have to juggle their lives in a way that needs to rely on others to take care of their children for periods of time. This may elicit a number of emotions and during this workshop, participants were able to reflect on when they need to separate from their children, especially when making use of a childcare centre.
The final workshop was regarding: ‘I really think that this is important for my child’, Parents are not parenting their children in isolation, rather they are surrounded by a number of people who are involved in their upbringing. During this workshop a number of questions were raised: How do we communicate our priorities and desires for our children in a respectful and non-conflicting way? Who are the people we can rely on?. Three of the workshops were given by Ms. Abigail Church, a humanistic integrative counsellor, whilst one workshop was given by Ms. Karen Bishop, a systemic family therapist.
