๐ฆWhy are parents not attending parenting training? Do they still need parenting training?
๐♀️Is there a need for parenting training? Do parents attend parenting training? What are parents' needs in parenting training? Are we as therapists addressing parents' needs? Do we know how to address parents' needs?
❓I started with a Whole-Brain Parenting program at a primary school in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Nobody attended the first session and I sent a questionnaire to my Business WhatsApp community.
A total of 38 people responded of which 36 are parents. Question 2 indicated that most of the parents that responded were parents of primary school. This can be explained as I am rendering services in primary school.
The following 2 questions were looking at topics parents might be interested in for training. What is interesting is that the majority of participants indicated the need for training in the social and emotional development of their children.
Under "other" the following responses were received:
Most of the respondents did not previously have parenting training.
All the respondents indicated that parenting training can be of value.
On the question of why parenting training could be of value the following responses were received:
My research question was why don't parents attend parenting training-do they need parenting training? In this research, the majority indicate that they have parental training needs and they verbalize the importance of parenting training.
Conclusion ๐
I would like to suggest that the following should be considered why parents are reluctant to attend parenting training.
๐1. Time Constraints: Parents often have busy schedules juggling work, household responsibilities, and their children's activities. The commitment to attend regular sessions or workshops can be challenging, making them reluctant to participate.
๐ซ2. Perceived Competence: Some parents might feel that they are already competent in their parenting skills and don't require any additional training. They might believe that their own experiences and instincts are sufficient to raise their children effectively, leading to a reluctance to seek external guidance. Although this research indicated that parents do see the importance of parenting training.
๐♀️3. Stigma and Shame: Parents might fear that seeking help indicates that they are inadequate or struggling in their role as parents. This fear of judgment or shame can deter them from participating, even if they could benefit from the training.
✨4. Resistance to Change: Parenting styles can be deeply ingrained, influenced by cultural norms, family traditions, and personal beliefs. Some parents might be resistant to changing their approach, even if they recognize the need for improvement. Attending parenting training could challenge their existing views and habits, leading to resistance.
๐ฐ5. Costs: Parenting training programs, come with a cost, financially, child care, transport and time. Some parents might be reluctant to invest money in such programs, especially if they are unsure about the potential outcomes. Financial constraints can be a significant barrier, particularly for those who are already facing economic challenges.
⌚6. Content and length of the program: This can be time-consuming and parents are, as indicated only interested in specific and a wide variety of topics.
๐7. Ongoing research is necessary in a changing community where parenting styles and different and parenting training needs is evolving with changes in technology and education.
๐8. Awareness is needed to be created of the need for ongoing learning and new developments in the field of parenting training. Can one ever know enough about child development to give us the optimal opportunities to develop holistic-cognitively, socially, emotionally, and spiritually?
๐ญ9. Parenting brings me to the concept of Ubuntu: "I am, because you are" -a child is raised by a village" Parents, teachers, families, and churches are all responsible to parent our children-we need to take hands.
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