We Can All Use Some Tools to Parent Wisely

Even the healthiest, most wellintentioned parent in the world can feel helpless and ineffective when pushed to the limit. Many grandparents and other family members are taking on the role of primary care-giver and feel lost in dealing with adolescent challenges. Fortunately, there is help out there for parents and caregivers. Parenting Wisely is an evidenced based program shown to lessen drug and alcohol abuse in youth, school and homework problems, delinquency and other problem behaviors, family conflict, and more. It is a highly interactive, online, self-paced course designed by family and social scientists to equip parents with the tools necessary to engage children in difficult family scenarios. Topics include: helping children to do housework, helping children to do better in school, sharing, curfew, sibling conflict, step-parenting, getting up on time, balancing homework and friends, and finding drugs. Parenting Wisely allows participants to view realistic scenarios and learn tools for managing challenging situations. It has been awarded the Positive Parenting Award by the National Council for Children’s Rights, the Active Parenting Award by the Children’s Rights Council, and has been called a “Best Practice for Prevention of Youth Violence” by the Center for Disease Control, and you can complete the course on your smartphone in the privacy of your own home! Communities That Care of Lorain County is pleased to be able to offer a limited number of free subscriptions to parents and caregivers who are residents of Lorain County. Parents that have completed the course have shared an increased feeling of knowledge and competence in their parenting skills and satisfaction in the program. To check out a demo of Parenting Wise ly, gotowww. parenting wisely. com. Then, to access a free subscription, please contact Christine Rob- inson at the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County at (440) 282-9920. There is a minimal amount of paperwork to get started and for a subscription to be activated. Then, you can log in at any computer or smartphone to complete the program. The entire program takes about 4-6 hours to complete, but it is broken into modules that are convenient for busy parents. If arguments about getting up in the morning, school work, and chores are getting you down, give Communities That Care a call. Parenting is hard, but Parenting Wisely can help!