February is National Parent Leadership Month

Greetings readers! 

To the parents, caregivers, mentors, educators, and anyone else who leads and nurtures youth – You are superheroes! Raising and guiding youth takes patience, strength, vulnerability, and a whole lot of courage. This week’s blog is about Parent Leadership: What does it mean and what can you do to ensure you are being the parent leader you want to be? Before we dive in, here are this week’s affirmations: 

  • Some days are better than others; that doesn’t mean I’m a bad parent/guardian.

  • I will remember everyone is learning and growing, like me.

  • I can practice self-reflection without self-judgment.

What does Parent Leadership mean? 

  • The term Parent Leadership was coined as a way to empower and encourage parents to continue putting in the great work and effort it takes to raise empowered youth. Empowered youth grow up to contribute to society and their communities in healthy ways, building a better community as a whole. 

  • As a parent/caregiver, youth are counting on you and looking to you for structure, guidance, and positive examples of behaviors. This is not to say parents/caregivers are expected to be perfect 100% of the time or to not make mistakes (we’re all human and youth know this too, it’s okay!). However, being a parent leader means understanding this, and take the initiative, and putting in the effort to try. 

  • Empowered Parents = Empowered Youth = Better and Stronger Communities. 

Check-in with yourself by reflecting on and answering the following questions: 

  • What positive examples are you setting for your youth? Are there any areas you may be able to improve in or practice setting more positive examples? 

  • What values are you hoping your youth are learning and taking with them later in life? Are you actively communicating your values with your youth?

  • Are there any areas of your youth’s life where you feel you can be more involved? (Examples include: School meetings and decision-making; Sports teams; Doctor’s office/medical decisions)

  • How well are you doing in these areas? (One idea is to rate yourself in each section using a 1-10 scale. In the areas you score lower, decide on one simple step you can take today to be better in that area):

    • Communicating with your youth: Keeping a calm voice; Providing your youth a chance to speak and express themselves. 
    • Mutual Respect: Are you speaking to them the way you want them to speak back to you? Are you offering them the same level of respect you want to receive from them? 
    • Word Choice: Refraining from saying things such as “are you even thinking?”, “do you even have a brain?”, “you are so lazy!”
    • Participation: Providing youth opportunities to engage with you in activities; Directly asking them to participate instead of assuming they should know what you want them to do. 
    • Spending Quality Time: Focusing on quality over quantity; Engaging in activities that the youth is passionate about.
    • Being Consistent in Discipline: Do the consequences you are handing out make sense for the action; Are you providing reasoning for outcomes so the youth can learn the outcomes of the actions?

Self-reflecting is not about judging or shaming yourself based on what has or has not happened between you and your youth (remember this week’s affirmations!). Self-reflecting is a wonderful strategy to help keep you on track to being the best parent/guardian you can be for your youth! 

Here’s how YOU can be a Prevention Partner:

  • Share these resources with parents or other parenting resources you might come across. Knowledge is power and everyone deserves that power! 

  • Thank your parents, your mentors, or anyone you feel has helped raise you or shape you into the wonderful person that you are! 

  • Sign yourself up to attend one of the FREE parenting programs offered by Touchstone Health Services Prevention Department. These programs contain valuable information and skills for caregivers of any kind! Visit our CARE Coalition website to learn more about the available programs being offered. 

  • Parent leadership does not end here. Continue learning and growing! Learn more by visiting these helpful resources: 

    • Parentswholead.org
    • Tips For Emerging Family Leaders: Helpful tips for Parent Leaders who want to be active and have a voice in their youth’s school meetings/decisions.