Everyone agrees that parenting is by far the most important job
one can have, yet surprisingly little attention has been given
to training new parents. Finally, a most impressive and
interesting course has been designed by Dr. Elliott Barker of
the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
(CSPCC), and is now available on the Internet. "A
Certificate for Parenting" focuses on the principles of the
Society and makes them available in an easy-to-use instructional
format, in English and French. The course will soon be available
on CD-ROM, and will be free on request to schoolteachers.
The web site includes the nine-section course, a glossary of
terms, and exceptionally well-selected resources. A section of
tests and games (multiple choice questions, matching games, and
jigsaw games) are instructive as well as fun to do.
The object of the course is to help parents and parents-to-be
understand:
- What a human baby has evolved over millions of years to
expect and need
- How our culture often clashes with those expectations
- Important new information about a baby's brain development
after it is born
The course, which has been written in an engaging style
in simple language, covers nine areas:
- Birth
- Breastfeeding
- Separations
- The Family Bed
- Baby Wearing
- A Second Baby
- Ghosts in the Nursery
- The Brain
- Our Culture
Each section includes between four and eight lessons, and
each lesson has five to ten pages, with accompanying drawings.
There is a 10 question multiple-choice questionnaire following
each section, and fifteen question pre-and post tests give an
indication of what one has learned. After completing the course,
a post-test score of 80 percent or higher allows the test-taker
to print out "A Certificate for Parenting" in their
name.
We are delighted to see that a parenting course has at last
been made available on the Internet. That it has come from the
capable hands of the CSPCC is a wonderful piece of good fortune
for us all. Visit the site to take the course, and be sure to
spread the word!
empathicparenting.org/course/
