Building Confident, Connected Families

What do you see when you look at the picture above? Do you see a happy family? Do you see a family that enjoys each other's company? Do you see children who are loved and cherished? Do you see paragons of health, joy, and connection?

If you are like me, you see all these things and much more. But now for the hard part...

Does it make you feel less than because your family does not or did not look like this?

Do you wish you had the time, energy, and money to "stage" this for your family so you can tick yourself a notch higher than your neighbor Karen?

Are you jealous of their perfectly coordinated but non-matching distressed jeans and unbuttoned plaid shirts?

Do you wish your daughter was still as connected to you as this girl is to her mom?

Does it remind you about the piles of laundry you have to do? And there are always piles!

Does it make you wish for a green space to play with your children?

If you are a parent, odds are something like the above popped into your head. But why? Easy, the myth of parental perfection. So many of us have it stuck in our heads that being anything less than perfect as a parent is failure. And if someone, somewhere is doing it "better" than you, then that means you can't possibly be perfect. Right?

I say enough! Enough with the ridiculous expectations we put on ourselves. Enough with the one-up mentality social media puts on us. Enough with the side-eye stares at the grocery store we give to each other. Enough already!

At Parent Aid, we value familial connection over parental perfection. Why you ask? I am going to let you in on a little secret. Children don't need, or even want, a perfect parent. They need and deserve a real one. One that shows up when needed. One that embraces their flaws and loves themselves anyway. One that models self-care for them. One that will engage in a two-way dialogue with them when life gets confusing. And life always gets confusing from time to time. Children, and all humans for that matter, don't always remember what you say or do, but they always remember how you make them feel. And the only way to embrace each other's feelings is through connection. Physical and emotional connection.  

Our parenting programs are proven to build connection, so I encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and give us a shot. Keep on reading to check out all the upcoming opportunities for you to keep your parent game strong with Parent Aid.

The end of the year is nearing close, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get started with a parenting class, workshop, or group.

Active Parenting | 6-week series starting on Tuesday, November 5 at 5:30 pm. Class is offered via Zoom. Class is open to all parents with kiddos from toddlers to tweens.

Dad-Share | 6-week series starting on Tuesday, November 12 at 5:30 pm. Class is offered via Zoom and in-person at the Parent Aid office. Class is open to all dads with any age kiddos.

Boot Camp for New Dads | 1-time workshop on November 23 at 10am. Class is offered in-person at the Parent Aid office. Boot Camp is open to all expecting dads.

Zumbini | Weekly workshops that will get you singing and dancing with your kiddos. Workshops are offered at the Sahuarita Family Resource Centers on Fridays in November.

Baby Signs Too | Weekly workshops that will explore the world of manual language for you and your kiddos. Workshops are offered at the Robles and Ranchitos Family Resource Centers on Tuesdays and Thursdays respectively in November.

Parent Support Groups | Every Monday at noon for all parents, and 5:30 pm just for dads.

All classes can be found at parentaid.org/calendar. Do yourself a favor and get enrolled today. You deserve it!