Talk to help parents be ‘in the moment’

IN A bid to help make parents’ jobs easier, newly opened Petite Boss Coffee and Spa in Richmond Hill will host a two-hour parenting talk with counselling psychologist Greg Smith on Friday at 8am.

Guest speaker Smith said his talk, titled “Stepping Out Of The Storm: A Beginner’s Guide to Mindful Parenting”, would assist in shifting parents from a position of psychological inflexibility and stress towards a more flexible and calmer approach.

“Being a parent is often challenging and stressful. How do we help our children navigate their storms when we as parents are ourselves caught up in our own personal storms?” Smith said.

“[This] talk will introduce Mindful Parenting as an approach that allows parents to embrace their demons rather than avoid them.

“This approach to parenting leads to an enhanced and calmer parent-child relationship.”

Petite Boss owner, Lynn van Vuuren, said the aim of the talk was to teach parents to be mindful in dealing with their children, and recognise the importance of being “in the moment” when playing with them.

“In today’s day we are all so busy and most of the time both parents have to work till late, then still come home, cook, clean and spend what little time we have with our children,” she said.

“We tend to forget that they are like sponges, taking everything we do and say in and it will stay with them for years to come.”

Modern-day parenting includes juggling between working hard to put food on the table and availing oneself for playtime at home, and Van Vuuren hopes the talk will teach parents to find a balance and not think about work during family time.

“We just feel parents are overwhelmed with all the daily demands made on us that we tend to forget the little things in life that can make us happy and ensure our children are happy in the future,” she said.

Entrance costs R80, including breakfast and coffee. Parents are welcome to bring their children, who will be taken care of at the Kids Conference Centre under strict supervision. Booking is essential.

ý For more information contact Van Vuuren on 074-582-0319 or e-mail: thepetiteboss@gmail.com