Help improve parenting for anyone
With Father’s Day around the corner, it seems fitting to reflect on the oldest profession: parenting. I’d wager that it’s also the most rewarding – and the most difficult – job there is. Family life leaves an indelible mark on children. They learn skills, attitudes, behaviours, and they develop their personalities and minds. Family learning, both positive or negative, is intergenerational learning, and can impact more than one generation.
A recent reminder of this can be found at Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission website. Its home page laments “For the child taken, for the parent left behind.” Aboriginal peoples in Canada still ache with the pain and still feel the loss of children ripped away from their homes and taken to residential schools. All Canadians should visit this website. As a parent myself, I find it hard to imagine the heartbreak and the devastation of this assault on families. Visit www.trc.ca for more details.
We have come to understand how fundamental and critical those early years in a child’s life truly are. For many of us, we have support systems in place to help us raise our children to the best of our ability, but sometimes more support is needed. And sometimes the challenge we’re facing is beyond the scope of expertise of those around us. So where do we go for help?
Fortunately, there is a new international study underway looking at exactly these questions to help social and health-related agencies around the world design better parenting programs in their local communities.
The International Parenting Survey (IPS) is a confidential web-based survey for parents of children from two to 12 years of age. This survey has been conducted in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and hongkong, and is under way in canada right now, thanks to researchers from across Canada headed by a team at the University of Ottawa.
The survey asks parents about their children, about their confidence in responding to problems their child experiences, how they manage their child’s behaviour, the supports that are available to them as parents, and their preferences for how to get support in parenting. Findings from the survey should help service providers design supports that match parents’ needs and preferences. If 100 or more parents in the Peterborough area take part, a report will be created specific to our community and will be posted on the Health Unit website, www.pcchu.ca.
This project is designed to give parents a voice in the services which they need and want. It is hoped that many parents of children two to 12 years of age will take part, including fathers, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, First Nations peoples, new Canadians, parents facing challenges, and those living in remote areas.
Delivering effective parenting programs is a priority for the Health Unit and our many community partners. In Peterborough, there are a number of great programs parents can access, such as Nobody’s Perfect and the Triple P Program. By participating in the IPS, you can help us understand how we can improve these services, and what other kinds of supports are needed locally for parents in our community.
I’m asking all parents to take advantage of the IPS to bring to light what Peterborough parents want and need. How can you help? First of all, tell people about the survey – colleagues, clients, neighbours, friends, and family members. If you are a workplace supervisor, allow your employees to complete the survey during work hours. Publicize the study on your website, Facebook, and Twitter. If you are a parent, let other parents know about this opportunity. Tell your children’s service providers about it. And if you are a parent of a child aged two to 12, have your say by taking part in the IPS, www.ipscanada.net. The survey closes on June 30, so the time to do it is now. Please help. Dr. Rosana Pellizzari is the medical officer of health for Peterborough city and county.